Here we go again…
Welfare fraud investigations by the Maine Dept. of Health and Human Services uncovered a mass amount of fraud in 2016.
The state claims that there were 174 cases of fraud in 2016 and the calculated amount of money involved in those cases was a staggering $1,701,983.
The report highlighted a few individuals that have been charged with a significant amount of fraud.
In one case, 54-year-old Tanya Boutelle was indicted by an Androscoggin County Grand Jury on several counts of theft by deception resulting in illicit gains of more than $150,000. Boutelle had not reported her income which led to multiple subsequent discoveries of elder financial abuse.
Lisa Schofield was also showcased in the report. DHHS stated she was convicted of stealing nearly $12,000 in food stamps and MaineCare benefits by claiming Maine residency while she was actually living in New Hampshire with a wealthy fiance. Schofield was sentenced to 11 months in jail.
DHHS provides outlets for reporting fraud online or by phone through the state’s Fraud Hotline at 1-888-348-1129.
Below are a few more hardworking, honest and respectable folk!
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