HARRISBURG, Pa. — The Office of State Inspector General (OSIG) announced Thursday that it has charged 52 people with felony public assistance fraud during the month of May.
Those charged owe a total of $347,497 in restitution to the commonwealth, the OSIG said in a press release.
Additional cost savings will be realized as the defendants will be temporarily disqualified from receiving public benefits in the programs they allegedly defrauded, the OSIG said.
“It is imperative that we fulfill our duty to the citizens of Pennsylvania by ensuring the proper allocation of public benefits,” said State Inspector General Lucas M. Miller. “We are fortunate to partner with the Department of Human Services to uphold the integrity of these programs and preserve the public's confidence in assistance programs.”
OSIG investigates and prosecutes public assistance fraud and conducts collection activities for the public benefits programs administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services.
It is alleged that these individuals misrepresented themselves and fraudulently received taxpayer-funded public benefits to which they were not entitled, the OSIG said.
If convicted, the maximum penalty defendants face for public assistance fraud is seven years in prison and a fine of $15,000.
In the case of SNAP, Cash Assistance or Subsidized Day Care fraud, defendants also face a mandatory disqualification period from the benefits program they allegedly defrauded, according to OSIG.
OSIG works in close coordination with DHS, which administers Pennsylvania’s public assistance programs, to investigate referrals made by DHS for potential fraud or abuse of programs.
Referrals come through concerns flagged through applications and questionable use of benefits observed by DHS or from tips made by the public. Anonymously report suspected welfare fraud on the OSIG website or call the Welfare Fraud Tipline: 1-800-932-0582.
