Mercer County residents charged with welfare fraud
Two Mercer County residents are among 178 people facing charges as part of a welfare fraud crackdown in Pennsylvania.
Two Mercer County residents are among 178 people facing charges as part of a welfare fraud crackdown in Pennsylvania.
The Office of State Inspector General announced that it filed the charges between January 1 and March 31 of 2019.
Ninety of those cases classified as felonies include charges against Michael Riggens of Sharon who is accused of collecting $711.00 in SNAP fraud and $2,572.74 in Medical Assistance fraud.
Rebecca Fry of Jamestown is accused of collecting $10,838.48 through Medical Assistance fraud.
If convicted, the maximum penalty they face is seven years in prison and a fine of $15,000.00, plus a mandatory disqualification period from the benefits program they allegedly defrauded.
The restitution owed the state in cases across the state totals $886,055.54. Additional cost savings will be realized as the defendants will be temporarily disqualified from receiving public benefits in the programs they allegedly defrauded.
