HARRISBURG — A dentist in Perry County is accused of fraudulently obtaining more than $25,000 in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medical Assistance benefits.
It’s alleged that in November 2014, Joseph Ciampa applied for SNAP and Medical Assistance benefits in Dauphin and Philadelphia counties and lied on his application, claiming that he was unemployed or worked solely at a car dealership earning minimal income.
“This type of brazen fraud is offensive to every honest citizen,” said State Inspector General Bruce Beemer, who filed charges against Ciampa. “I am proud of the excellent work done by our investigators in exposing this fraud on the public.”
Between January 2015 and February 2019, Ciampa received $25,546.22 in public benefits that he wasn’t eligible for, according to the criminal complaint. He’s also accused of falsifying employment and income information for the benefits four times.
The criminal complaint noted that Ciampa hid the income from his dental practice, which — from 2015 to 2018 — collected $616,240.71 in insurance claim reimbursements.
“Had he reported this income to his caseworker at DHS, Ciampa would have been totally ineligible to receive all SNAP and MA [Medical Assistance] benefits that he received,” the criminal complaint stated.
Ciampa has been charged with fraudulent obtainment of SNAP benefits and fraudulent obtainment of Medical Assistance.
