PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — A supervisor at the Rhode Island Department of Human Services (DHS) was arrested for allegedly committing benefits fraud, U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Cunha announced Tuesday.

Nadine Jean Baptiste, 57, of Warwick, is accused of stealing people’s personal information to access their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits and use them to buy groceries.

According to a court affidavit, Nadine and her daughter, Octavia Jean Baptiste, 27, fraudulently accessed hundreds of EBT cards, totaling more than $191,000.

The R.I. Office of Internal Audit began investigating in September 2023 after getting complaints from SNAP recipients about missing EBT cards.

Nadine, who has worked for the state for more than a decade, is currently a principal clerk at the DHS office in Providence, prosecutors said. In this role, she supervises customer service assistants and has full access to EBT card printing machines.

The affidavit alleges that from January 2020 to July 2024, Nadine accessed SNAP recipients’ personal information to check EBT card balances and change PINs to use the cards.

She allegedly made roughly 1,817 phone inquiries on 408 EBT cards, while Octavia made more than 300 balance inquiries on about 95 cards, according to Cunha’s office.

Prosecutors said surveillance footage from June to August of this year showed Nadine making more than $2,000 in SNAP purchases using 16 different EBT cards at various stores.

Cuhna’s office pointed out that some of the victims include children and individuals who were homeless or incarcerated at the time. Court documents revealed that the mother of an 8-year-old reported issues accessing benefits in Florida due to her son’s identity being used in Rhode Island.

Nadine and Octavia are facing federal charges of aggravated identity theft, wire fraud, illegal acquisition or use of SNAP benefits, and conspiracy.

Both appeared in court Tuesday and were released on unsecured bond.

DHS spokesperson Jim Beardsworth urged SNAP beneficiaries who suspect fraudulent activity to submit a Fraud Allegation Form .

He also advised EBT users to frequently change their PINs and monitor account balances, noting that DHS will never ask for PINs or EBT numbers.

For help changing your PIN, call ebtEdge at 1-888-979-9939 or click here to log in online.

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