The Cabinet for Health and Family Services is the Kentucky state government agency that administers programs to promote the mental and physical health of Kentuckians and support Kentucky’s families. Yet Brittany Joyce May, employed with CHFS since August of 2018, may have been the very antithesis of its department motto “Building a Stronger Community.” While she was responsible for entering information into a registry from people who were entitled to payments under adoption and foster-care programs and initiating their payments, May allegedly was stealing from the very people she was supposed to be supporting.
Between November 2019 and May 2023, May allegedly created accounts at banks using the names and Social Security numbers of cabinet clients, but she not only initiated payments to her fraudulent accounts, she had the debit cards from the accounts sent to her home. May changed clients’ bank account information in the registry to accounts she controlled. She also changed the clients’ addresses in the system so they wouldn’t get notice that a payment had been made in their name. Stealing from the poor and keeping it.
May used the names and Social Security numbers of at least 40 cabinet clients in carrying out the scheme, according to the indictment. Between November 2019 and May 2023, May initiated more than 500 financial transfers to accounts she created at four different banks, resulting in a loss of $444,000 to the cabinet and the community members who were seeking assistance.
A shout out to the Office of Medicaid Fraud and Abuse Control. And an apology to those who were victimized when they needed help from the Cabinet for Health and Family services.
Today’s Fraud of The Day is based on article “Former employee of Kentucky agency allegedly used IDs of other to steal $444,000” published by WKYT News on May 18, 2024.
A former state employee stole more than $400,000 from a Kentucky government agency by using identities of other people to write herself checks, a federal grand jury has charged. The grand jury indicted Brittany Joyce May, 35, Thursday on five charges of wire fraud and three charges of aggravated identity theft.
May worked at the Cabinet for Health and Family Services from August 2018 to May 2023. Her duties included entering information into a registry from people who were entitled to payments under adoption and foster-care programs, and also initiating payments to their bank accounts or debit cards, according to the indictment.
