Evidently the sect came up with a scheme in other states to defraud the welfare system but they somehow decided not to use the same scheme in Texas? Why is that, do you think?
They have been in those other states for a LONG time. Plenty of time to infiltrate local government and set up all kinds of schemes. Also, they seemed to be trying to keep the YFZ ranch community very isolated, unlike the sprawling Utah, Arizona, and British Columbia communities. The whole community used a single mailing address, and this could make it difficult to get welfare, since caseworkers would insist on visiting the “home”. In Utah and Arizona, they have freestanding houses, intermingled with some houses belonging to ex-members and non-members. They can invite caseworkers over to each house separately, and have as many children there for the occasion as they care to apply for. And if they’re managing to keep a lot of the women and children on the Utah and Arizona welfare rolls after they’ve moved to Texas, there’s not a whole lot of motivation to take the risk associated with applying in Texas.