Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

HARRISBURG – Legislation to help combat welfare fraud and abuse has been passed by the Pennsylvania Legislature and signed into law by the Governor, according to Senator Joe Scarnati (R-25). Scarnati explained that House Bill 993 received final passage by the House of Representatives last week and that they concurred to an amendment that was inserted into the bill by the Senate. The bill was then signed into law on Wednesday, September 24 as Act 132 of 2014. Originally, HB 993 was introduced only to change the name of the Department of Public Welfare to the Department of Human Services (DHS). Scarnati then introduced an amendment in the Senate Appropriations Committee in July, to expand the bill to also establish a toll-free telephone number and email address for individuals to report suspected fraud and abuse of public assistance programs. “Pennsylvania taxpayers deserve to know that their tax dollars are being invested wisely and that state funds for public assistance...

A man who pleaded guilty earlier this week to not registering with the New York State Sex Offender Registry is now also charged with welfare fraud. 42-year-old Darryl Myers of Olean is accused of not report his income from scrapping to the Cattaraugus County Department of Social Services. Sheriff’s deputies say he received $795 in cash assistance and SNAP benefits he wasn’t entitled to between October of last year and earlier this month. As for the sex offense, Myers sexually abused a 14-year-old girl back in 2001. He is scheduled for sentencing on May 27 for not registering with the state.

(News Release) HARRISBURG – Senators David G. Argall (R-29) and Joe Scarnati (R-25) are crafting a proposal that would strengthen the integrity of several areas within the state’s welfare department. The two senators are taking concerns voiced by their constituents to include in a proposal that addresses several areas of misuse of taxpayer-funded benefits. “Our concern is that these valuable taxpayer dollars are being misused when the programs are set to help those with a genuine need,” Senator Argall said. “We need to make sure we protect our most vulnerable citizens while letting the system abusers know the free ride is over. I’ve heard at town hall meetings some outrageous examples of misuse of taxpayer dollars occurring, but after further review, have found it is legal under the current system. This drives hardworking taxpayers crazy.” “Pennsylvania taxpayers deserve to know that their tax dollars are being invested wisely and that state funds for public assistance prog...

A Bradford man is accused of using his sick neighbor’s Access card to buy more than $200 worth of merchandise. Warren Mackey was asked by his neighbor on February 16 to buy her some juice. She gave him her Access card and the PIN, and he brought the juice back. But the next day she couldn’t find the card, according to papers filed in District Judge Dominic Cercone’s office. She later learned that Mackey used her card to make purchases at Wal-Mart, Save-A-Lot and Tops. Charges against Mackey were bound to court. He’s free on unsecured bail. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Congressman Tom Reed of New York and the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Human Resources continued its welfare reform hearing series Wednesday, gathering feedback from public assistance directors on how states’ flexibility to test various welfare programs leads to improved success rates in helping low-income individuals and families out of the welfare system and toward self sufficiency. “(The) hearing was an opportunity to engage face-to-face with those who administer welfare programs and solicit input on how we can improve the programs to better care for the working poor,” Reed said. “Welfare assistance programs are not required, nor designed, to work with one another and this presents a burden on the whole system and is not fair to recipients or taxpayers. With over 80 federal programs working independently from one another, there is a clear need to communicate and coordinate among programs.” The hearing, titled “Improving the Safety Net: Better Coordinating Today’s Maze of P...

A Bradford woman has pleaded guilty to welfare fraud, and has been ordered to pay back more than $5,000 in benefits she received. The state inspector general’s office says 34-year-old Jennifer Birch got more than $5,300 in medical assistance and SNAP benefits. She will be on probation for two years, must pay full restitution and costs and has been disqualified from receiving SNAP benefits for a year. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A Bradford woman and a Johnsonburg woman are among the people sentenced on welfare fraud charges brought by the state Office of Inspector General. 43-year-old Diane Ayala of Bradford was sentenced to 45 days to 18 months in jail for receiving more than $6,800 in medical assistance transportation benefits. She must also do 80 hours of community service and pay full restitution. 24-year-old Deeanna Bellman of Johnsonburg will be on probation for five years for receiving more than $2,400 in SNAP benefits. She must also pay restitution. To see a full list of people who were sentenced or pleaded guilty to welfare fraud in November go here ( PDF ) The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

State Representative Marty Causer was on today's LiveLine and one of the issues we discussed was welfare reform. Listen here: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/24100545 The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A Bradford woman has been sentenced for her guilty plea to welfare fraud. 55-year-old Carol Bunce received more than $8,000 in cash assistance and SNAP benefits she was not entitled to. She was sentenced to 12 months’ probation and 120 hours of community service, and was also ordered to pay full restitution. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

The latest person arrested in Cattaraugus County’s continuing crackdown on welfare fraud is also charged with criminal trespass and criminal possession of stolen property. 52-year-old Roger Canute of Olean is accused of taking a food stamp benefit card that was issued to someone else, and then spending and selling more than $2,300 worth of food stamps. Sheriff’s deputies say the incidents happened from March 15 to April 2. Canute is free on his own recognizance. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Another Cattaraugus County resident has been charged with welfare fraud. 29-year-old Tara Link of Olean is accused of not reporting that she was receiving unemployment benefits from a job in Pennsylvania at the same time she was receiving benefits in New York. From July to December of last year she received $4,800 in food stamps, cash assistance and Medicaid she was not entitled to. She is scheduled to appear in court May 15. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Two more Cattaraugus County residents have been arrested for welfare fraud. 41-year-old Donna Cox of Olean is accused of not reporting her husband’s income, or that he was in the household, when she submitted applications to the county department of social services. She received nearly $14,000 worth of food stamps she was not entitled to between April of 2010 and August of 2011. She’s scheduled to appear in court May 1. 34-year-old Tanya Palmeri of Salamanca is accused of not reporting that the father of her baby had wages, or that he lived in the household. Between September of 2011 and February of this year she received more than $7,000 worth of food stamps she was not entitled to. She’s scheduled to appear in court Tuesday. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Another welfare fraud arrest has been made in Cattaraugus County. 28-year-old Nichole Gayton of Buffalo allegedly got more than $1,500 in cash assistance and food stamps from Cattaraugus County while she was already receiving benefits from Pennsylvania. Besides welfare fraud, she is charged with grand larceny and offering a false instrument for filing. She’s scheduled to appear in City of Olean Court on April 17. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Cattaraugus County continues its crackdown on welfare fraud. 51-year-old Rhonda Fuller of Bolivar is charged with grand larceny and four counts of offering a false instrument for filing as well as welfare fraud. Sheriff’s deputies say she submitted Child Care Attendance Sheets to the county Department of Social Services that included hours she was not working. Between January of 2007 and December of 2010 she received more than $6,500 in day care assistance she was not entitled to. Fuller is scheduled to appear in City of Olean Court on April 10. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Harrisburg – Pennsylvania’s efforts to protect the integrity of the food stamp program include a strong focus on curbing trafficking in benefit cards and fraud at the retail level, Inspector General Kenya Mann Faulkner today told a Congressional panel in Washington, D.C. Faulkner testified before the U.S. House Committee on Oversight & Government Reform, which is examining fraud within the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, more commonly known as food stamps. “Governor Tom Corbett believes that it is important for Pennsylvania to provide health and human services, such as SNAP, to its truly deserving citizens,” Faulkner said. “Individuals who engage in fraud take away those limited resources from the neediest of Pennsylvanians.” Faulkner said the Office of Inspector General (OIG) works closely with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Services division, which oversees the SNAP program, and also the Department of Public Welfare, which administers ...

A South Dayton, New York, woman has been sentenced to eight years’ probation after pleading guilty to fraudulently receiving nearly $8,300 in public assistance. 31-year-old Michelle Rogers received the daycare assistance fraudulently when she failed to notify the Department of Social Services that she was using daycare providers other than the provider approved by the department between August of 2010 and May of 2011. She has also been ordered to pay the money back. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

The welfare fraud crackdown continues in Cattaraugus County with the arrest of a Portville woman. 60-year-old Sharon Hendryx is accused of not reporting her husband or his wages on applications she submitted to the Department of Social Services from November of 2009 to January of this year. She received more than $1,200 in heating assistance money and food stamps she was not entitled to. Hendryx is scheduled to appear in City of Olean Court on February 28. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Add one more person to list of Cattaraugus County residents who have been arrested for welfare fraud. 48-year-old Lorena Weldon of Franklinville is also charged with grand larceny and offering a false instrument for filing. Weldon is accused of not reporting rental income she was receiving when she submitted applications to the county department of social services from June of 2008 to May of this year, and received nearly $2,000 in food stamps her family was not entitled to. She’s scheduled to appear in City of Olean Court on January 10.

The crackdown on welfare fraud continues in Cattaraugus County. 40-year-old Dawn Perrington of Delevan is the latest to be charged with welfare fraud and offering a false instrument for filing. She allegedly submitted altered doctor’s slips to the county department of social services from June of 2010 to July of this year to get food stamps. Perrington is scheduled to appear in City of Olean Court on December 20. The original news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A South Dayton woman has pleaded guilty to receiving thousands of dollars worth of day care assistance from Cattaraugus County that she was not entitled to. 31-year-old Michelle Rogers received more than $8,200 in assistance between August of 2010 and May of this year, and did not notify the department of social services she was using day care providers that were not approved by the department. A Franklinville woman has pleaded guilty to forging a prescription. 19-year-old Lynette Deer altered a prescription on August 1 in Franklinville. An Olean man has pleaded guilty to attempted criminal sale of a controlled substance. 27-year-old Christopher Winship sold a narcotic on April 21, 2010, in Olean. All three are scheduled for sentencing on February 21. The original news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947