The idiom “thick as thieves” refers to a group of people who are described as close friends. Today’s “Fraud of the Day” article tells about three women who were closer than friends – they were sisters who banded together as “partners in crime.” The family members managed to steal more than $221,000 in public assistance benefits from the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare.
The sister at the center of today’s article took a plea deal offered by the state and was sentenced to between one and 10 years for the felony charge of public assistance fraud for making a false statement. In exchange for her guilty plea, two additional charges were dismissed. The 37-year-old sister will participate in Idaho’s retained jurisdiction program which attempts to rehabilitate criminals.
Another sister, 34, has already been sentenced for her involvement in the scheme and will also serve between one and 10 years in prison. She was ordered to pay $92,498.91 in restitution to the Department of Health and Welfare.
The fate of the 38-year-old third sister remains to be seen. (She was the oldest. Shouldn’t she have known better?) She is charged with one count of unauthorized use of food stamps, one count of fraudulently obtaining welfare or public assistance and a misdemeanor count for obtaining welfare or public assistance.
Stealing welfare benefits from the government is serious business. In this case it looks like the family who commits fraud together, goes to jail together.
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