Mesa County, Co. — The Mesa County Department of
Human Services (MCDHS) Fraud and Recovery Unit recently sent a suspected fraud
case to the Mesa County District Attorney’s office totaling over $27,200. The
suspected fraud occurred between September 2005 and April 2014. Welfare Fraud investigators uncovered enough
evidence to allege $19,509 in SNAP (aka Food Stamps), $2686 in Medicaid, $414
in LEAP (Low Income Energy Assistance), and $1263 in TANF (Temporary Assistance
to Needy Families) benefits had been fraudulently obtained during that time
period. The total restitution also
includes over $3300 in administrative costs related to the investigation. Case number 2014 CR 0991.
Intentionally defrauding public assistance
programs consists of falsely reporting information on an application including
household composition, household resources or household income. Punishment
includes repayment of benefits issued and may result in a 1-year to lifetime
ban from receiving public assistance benefits and/or criminal prosecution.
“Knowingly
providing false information on a public assistance application in order to
receive benefits is a crime and it is something we take very seriously,” said
Tracey Garchar, Executive Director for the Mesa County Department of Human
Services. “These benefits are in place
for people who are eligible and genuinely need them in order to help provide
basic needs for their family,” added Garchar.
If you or someone you know suspects welfare
fraud, please call the Mesa County Department of Human Services Welfare Fraud
Hotline at 256-2421.
No comments:
Post a Comment