103 charged in Pa. for public assistance fraud in two months

HARRISBURG, Pa. (WKBN) — Public assistance fraud charges have been filed against 103 individuals in Pennsylvania.

On Thursday, the Office of State Inspector General (OSIG) announced these charges were filed in July and August of this year, and the restitution owed to the Commonwealth totals $680,303.

102 of these individuals are facing felony charges, and only one individual is facing misdemeanor charges. It is alleged that these individuals either trafficked their public assistance or misrepresented their household circumstances and fraudulently received taxpayer-funded public benefits to which they were not entitled.

“Each of these charges is a reminder of our responsibility to protect the integrity of the Commonwealth’s resources,” said State Inspector General Lucas M. Miller in a news release. “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.”

If convicted, the maximum penalty defendants face for public assistance fraud is seven years in prison and a fine of $15,000. In the case of SNAP, Cash Assistance, or Subsidized Day Care fraud, defendants also face a mandatory disqualification period from the benefits program they allegedly defrauded.

Several officials warned residents of a rise in these crimes in August . The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services also addressed a rise in these incidents around the same time due to card skimming .

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