Irregularities are usually not a good thing. The D.C. Department of Human Services discovered some irregularities in welfare payments and reported their findings to the D.C. inspector general’s office. An in-depth investigation revealed that a Washington, D.C. public servant committed food stamp fraud by siphoning off benefits intended for low-income families.
The former D.C. government employee from Fort Washington, Md., was a policy analyst at the Department of Homeland Security. While in that role, he reviewed applications for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). (His position allowed him to violate the trust of the vulnerable citizens that these programs served.)
According to court records, the Fort Washington man filled out a fraudulent application to receive SNAP and TANF benefits using someone else’s name. After receiving a government benefits card, he used it to collect more than $400,000 in welfare payments he did not deserve.
The 49-year-old man pleaded guilty to food stamp fraud for diverting more than $400,000 in welfare funds that were intended for Washington, D.C. residents. When sentenced, he could receive up to 41 months in prison. Fortunately, today’s fraudster has offered to repay the money he collected illegally. (Perhaps the judge will go easier on him since he admitted his guilt and has agreed to pay up.)
Today’s “Fraud of the Day” is based on an article, “Former D.C. government employee pleads guilty in $400,000 welfare fraud scheme,” published by The Washington Post on February 27, 2019.
A former D.C. government employee pleaded guilty Wednesday to a federal wire fraud charge in connection with a scheme to divert more than $400,000 in welfare funds intended for District residents, authorities said.
Gary T. Holliday, 49, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, according to a statement from U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, who collaborated on the case with D.C. Inspector General Daniel W. Lucas, the FBI and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
