UPDATED: Lewiston Mayor Bob MacDonald announced Wednesday that city officials have removed 84 people from the welfare rolls and saved taxpayers more than $150,000 in fraudulent welfare payments. More than half of the individuals included in the investigation will be charged with fraud, according to city officials.
LEWISTON – Lewiston city officials will hold a press conference Wednesday morning concerning an investigation into welfare fraud allegedly committed by local residents, The Maine Wire has learned.
The investigation has found a significant number of welfare fraud cases in Lewiston alone, amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars in fraudulently received public assistance, according to a State House source who asked to remain anonymous.
Michael McGonagle, a Lieutenant in Lewiston’s Criminal Investigations Division, confirmed for The Maine Wire that city officials will hold a press conference tomorrow morning regarding the results of an investigation into alleged welfare fraud.
McGonagle said the investigation had found “several” instances of welfare fraud but would not confirm the number of individuals included in the investigation or the amount of taxpayer dollars fraudulently received.
The city of Lewiston’s announcement comes in the wake of U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Thomas Vilsack’s February decision to deny Gov. Paul R. LePage’s request to require photographic identification for transactions involving public assistance.
The Governor requested permission to place photo ID on all Electronic Benefit Transer (EBT) cards last year, but his request was denied by the USDA on the grounds that doing so would infringe on the “rights” of EBT card holders and would not prevent fraud. Rather than inform LePage directly of the USDA’s decision, the Department instead leaked this information to Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine). The information was then received by the Portland Press Herald, a newspaper owned by Pingree and her husband S. Donald Sussman.
Until now, welfare fraud has been treated largely as a myth — a thing of anecdotes rather than fact.
News of Lewiston’s investigation into welfare fraud will likely spur further debate in Augusta as LePage and state lawmakers attempt rein in Department of Health and Human Services spending, especially spending on welfare defrauders.
By S.E. Robinson
Maine Wire Reporter
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="5785 http://www.themainewire.com/?p=5785">7 Comments
What the heck? They wanted to put photo ID’s on the cards but his request was denied by the USDA on the grounds that doing so would infringe on the “rights” of EBT card holders and would not would not prevent fraud. The USDA is beyond stupid! if the photo ID does not match the person. duhhhhhhh.. I’m positice that people who receive WIC have to have a photo ID to use them…
I honestly can’t believe that states are just now waking up to the reality of food stamp etc fraud. I see so, much of it where I work and it’s all I can do to not say something.
Sally I due speak up! In fact so much, my wife will not go thru the check out line at Waymart and BJ’s in Auburn any more. She thinks I am going to get in trouble.. Hay I am a tax payer and when I see those cards being used for restricted items like beer and wine.. I speak out and make the casher remove them! Its amazing how many people that can’t speak English, tell me to mind my own business in very plan English!
this kind of fraud is what is bringing our country down. When are we going to wake up.It’s about time the people we put into office does what the people want, not just what they want.
WIC doesn’t actually require a photo ID, but they do require signature verification to make sure that the recipient or their proxy’s signatures match the signature on the check.
Congratulations to the City of Lewiston and its elected officials! About time that we gained oversight in a bloated welfare program. We can only hope (dare say, Pray) that this gets expanded to other areas of the State!
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