Federal prosecutors, state investigators, and law enforcement officials gathered Thursday to announce charges against 15 people accused of participating in a $1.4M public benefits fraud scheme.
According to Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald for the National Fraud Enforcement Division, the alleged fraud involved government assistance programs, like SNAP benefits, and resulted in more than a million dollars in improper benefits being paid out.
“Today’s charges allege fraudulent conduct targeting the limited money set aside to help the most needy and the most vulnerable among us,” McDonald said.
Officials say 11 out of the 15 charged are believed to be undocumented, accused of providing false names. Those are identities that officials say had been stolen, leading to actual beneficiaries unable to access their funds.
“Their names had already been used in the programs to steal benefits,” McDonald said.
Authorities say the investigation was a joint effort involving multiple federal and state agencies with investigators tracking applications, records, and benefit payments over an extended period.
Though, US Attorney Leah Foley said the issue starts at the approval process for the programs, which are state run.
“There is no dispute that taxpayer dollars are not being protected because there are simply insufficient checks and balances. Until such time when state authorities acknowledge the problem, and implement solutions, the federal government will take on that responsibility and protect the taxpayers of Massachusetts,” Foley said.
Foley believes the state needs to implement more security in the approval process.
Officials say the case highlights ongoing efforts to identify fraud within public assistance programs and recover taxpayer dollars.
Governor Maura Healey said as a former prosecutor herself, she supports these investigations.
“It’s why as Governor, when I came in, we instituted EBT card chips to reduce fraud and the teams are working every day to combat fraud and root out fraud across all of our systems,” Gov. Healey said.
Officials say the investigation remains active, and they have not ruled out additional charges.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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