(WHTM) — Over 100 people in Pennsylvania have been charged with public assistance fraud for July and August, the Office of State Inspector General (OSIG) announced Thursday.

A total of 102 people are facing felony charges and one person is facing a misdemeanor charge of defrauding the public assistance system, a news release states.

These suspects allegedly “trafficked or misrepresented their household circumstances, and fraudulently received taxpayer-funded public benefits to which they were not entitled,” according to the release.

The state is owed $680,303 in restitution because of the fraud, and additional cost savings will be realized because the defendants will be temporarily disqualified from receiving public benefits in the programs that they defrauded, the OSIG said.

“Each of these charges is a reminder of our responsibility to protect the integrity of the Commonwealth’s resources,” State Inspector General Lucas M. Miller said in a statement. “We remain vigilant in our efforts to ensure that public assistance benefits are used as intended—to support those who are truly in need. I am proud that the funds recovered will be returned to help individuals across Pennsylvania.”

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If they are found guilty, these individuals can get a maximum of seven years in prison and a fine of $15,000. They also will face a mandatory disqualification period from the benefits program they allegedly stole from in the case of SNAP, Cash Assistance, or Subsidized Day Care fraud.

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