before they enter a probationary period for 12 months.
Wow... don't mess with Texas.
Posted on 10/06/2011 7:51:46 AM PDT by evets
WACO- Five indictments on Wednesday are only the beginning of a local crack-down on food stamp abusers.
McLennan County District Attorney Abel Reyna says 150 to 300 people swiped their Lonestar Cards at Swift P's Pizza on East Waco Drive, for cash back - 50 cents on the dollar.
Many bought cigarettes and gasoline or used the money to gamble.
SWAT teams busted the owner of Swift P's on July 29 for holding an illegal gambling place. Phillip Ferguson Haynes is currently being federally prosecuted for the gambling charge and involvement in food stamp fraud.
Reyna says the Department of Health and Human Services asked him to step in and prosecute those who are ripping off the system.
"These are individuals who receive this entitlement here in McLennan County that's paid for by our taxpaying citizens and what they've done is abuse it over a 12- or 18-month period of time," Reyna says.
Authorities caught on to the scams when they noticed customers were swiping their benefits cards multiple times within minutes. Reyna says Haynes was reporting that the customers were buying groceries but the small store didn't have such a large inventory.
Reyna says Lonestar Card holders can violate their use of the benefits three times before they enter a probationary period for 12 months. Then they can resume use of their benefits, but that, he says, is getting off too easy.
"If I don't address these account holders, then all I'm doing is pushing them to other locations throughout McLennan County," Reyna says.
Investigators will determine whether or not there are other stores involved in illegal food stamp trade.
The first five indictments amount to about $6,000 dollars in fraud, but Reyna expects more many more indictments from this case in the coming months.
If there is a way, they will figure it out.
Wow, that's harsh (NOT!) Steal from the taxpayers 3 times and you are required to wait 12 months before being permitted to steal from the taxpayers again!
UNBELEIVABLE!
They should be cut off for life if they “violate their use of the benefits” even ONCE.
The customers in Texas aren’t quite as bright as those in NC. I have seen customers purchase groceries on their card, take them out to the parking lot, bring them back in and take them to the customer service desk where they get their cash refund. No 50% loss that way.
Typo alert: It’s spelled “m-i-l-l-i-o-n-s”
Silly reporter.
Same scam, different decade. Been going on since food stamps were introduced.
LOL, perry’s people.
Are they can buy a cart of prime beef and sell it for 50% on the dollar.
Sort of removed that action from the crime status to a 'misdemeanor" status.
Most libs won’t even admit that this happens at all,
or will try to tell you that it is a very small percentage of occurrence.
After all, once they’ve achieved their goal, feeling good about themselves, liberals don’t even WANT to examine the policy or issue any further than that,
and pointing out the flaws and fraud and perverse incentives is personally attacking the libs’ sense of self worth.
Food stamp fraud? There’s some real news!
I worked in a grocery store in the 1970s.
Able bodied human parasites eating first class food on the backs of their neighbors, who are forced to buy cheaper groceries.
The ENTIRE idea of the food stamp program has been a fraud for DECADES.
Yep, they see an attack on the flaws of “their” good deeds as a personal attack. They don’t even want to know about the tens of billions wasted in Medicare and Medicaid scams.
A lot of folks get really baffled by the vehement, emotional, and personal response from libs when you point out the negative results or flaws in their policies.
Usually you get “you must hate kids/women/old people” as a response to “we should clean up the fraud in program X”.
The reason is that you’re killing their “I’m a good person” buzz, and they see your statements or questions as a direct attack on their “good personage”..
Besides, it’s OPM. Other people’s money.
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