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[h=1]City workers steal more than $2 million in food stamps, use funds to buy Red Bull in bulk and resell it, Department of Investigation charges[/h]
A pair of corrupt city bureaucrats ripped off more than $2 million in food stamps and public assistance over the last five years — even using stolen benefits to buy Red Bull in bulk and resell it, the city Department of Investigation announced Tuesday.
Two Human Resources Administration workers and 11 co-conspirators were arrested early Tuesday and charged with recruiting dozens of welfare recipients and others to game the system out of millions of taxpayer dollars between 2008 and 2013.
Cherrise Watson-Jackson, 44, an HRA supervisor, allegedly created fake electronic benefit transfer cards to generate $120,000, which was used to buy cases of Red Bull from BJ's Wholesale Club, according to charges filed in Manhattan federal court.
Watson-Jackson and her crew then resold the high-octane drink to small local grocery stores and split the proceeds, DOI alleged.
“During a season when we are reminded about hunger’s prevalence, these defendants are charged with shamelessly stealing the funds that assist in feeding that basic need,” said DOI Commissioner Mark Peters.
Also Tuesday, the department released a report pointing out flaws in HRA’s benefits system — which is unable to track paper applications for benefits because they are not entered into the city's electronic system.
Prosecutors in the office of Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara were set to bring the two bureaucrats and the 11 co-defendants before a federal magistrate later Tuesday.
Watson-Jackson, a $63,000-a-year supervisor based at a Jamaica, Queens, HRA job center, also enlisted co-conspirators to pose as pretend landlords to steal emergency housing vouchers meant to prevent families from becoming homeless, prosecutors said.
Between the fake EBT cards, Watson-Jackson and her crew allegedly stole a total of $1.5 million in 2012 and 2013.
Another HRA employee, Petronila Peralta, 51, was caught allegedly generating more than $600,000 in bogus cash assistance benefits to 140 individuals between 2008 and 2011. Peralta even paid recruiters to give welfare recipients cash to use their account information to generate fraudulent benefits, DOI said.
Peters noted that HRA, run by Commissioner Steve Banks, initially red-flagged the potential fraud and brought both cases to DOI to investigate.
In Tuesday’s report, DOI recommended that HRA partner with them to perform data analytics and scour the system for more fraud. The department also said the agency should move to an updated and secure electronic benefits system that eliminates paper applications.
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/doi-city-workers-stole-2-million-food-stamps-article-1.2451603
Corruption in New York, from the bottom all the way to the top.....
A pair of corrupt city bureaucrats ripped off more than $2 million in food stamps and public assistance over the last five years — even using stolen benefits to buy Red Bull in bulk and resell it, the city Department of Investigation announced Tuesday.
Two Human Resources Administration workers and 11 co-conspirators were arrested early Tuesday and charged with recruiting dozens of welfare recipients and others to game the system out of millions of taxpayer dollars between 2008 and 2013.
Cherrise Watson-Jackson, 44, an HRA supervisor, allegedly created fake electronic benefit transfer cards to generate $120,000, which was used to buy cases of Red Bull from BJ's Wholesale Club, according to charges filed in Manhattan federal court.
Watson-Jackson and her crew then resold the high-octane drink to small local grocery stores and split the proceeds, DOI alleged.
“During a season when we are reminded about hunger’s prevalence, these defendants are charged with shamelessly stealing the funds that assist in feeding that basic need,” said DOI Commissioner Mark Peters.
Also Tuesday, the department released a report pointing out flaws in HRA’s benefits system — which is unable to track paper applications for benefits because they are not entered into the city's electronic system.
Prosecutors in the office of Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara were set to bring the two bureaucrats and the 11 co-defendants before a federal magistrate later Tuesday.
Watson-Jackson, a $63,000-a-year supervisor based at a Jamaica, Queens, HRA job center, also enlisted co-conspirators to pose as pretend landlords to steal emergency housing vouchers meant to prevent families from becoming homeless, prosecutors said.
Between the fake EBT cards, Watson-Jackson and her crew allegedly stole a total of $1.5 million in 2012 and 2013.
Another HRA employee, Petronila Peralta, 51, was caught allegedly generating more than $600,000 in bogus cash assistance benefits to 140 individuals between 2008 and 2011. Peralta even paid recruiters to give welfare recipients cash to use their account information to generate fraudulent benefits, DOI said.
Peters noted that HRA, run by Commissioner Steve Banks, initially red-flagged the potential fraud and brought both cases to DOI to investigate.
In Tuesday’s report, DOI recommended that HRA partner with them to perform data analytics and scour the system for more fraud. The department also said the agency should move to an updated and secure electronic benefits system that eliminates paper applications.
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/doi-city-workers-stole-2-million-food-stamps-article-1.2451603
Corruption in New York, from the bottom all the way to the top.....
