Attorney General Troy King announced Friday the conviction of a woman in Calhoun County Circuit Court for a charge of welfare fraud.“When people lie to receive welfare benefits to which they are not entitled, they are committing a crime against the state, the taxpaying public and those who are truly deserving of welfare benefits,” said King.
“I take seriously my responsibility as attorney general to protect public funds on behalf of the people of Alabama and pledge to prosecute those who break the law by abusing the welfare system.”
Cynthia Willis, 39, of Jacksonville, pleaded guilty on Nov. 11 to third-degree theft of property in the amount of $3,920. She was sentenced to one year of imprisonment and ordered to pay full restitution to the state of Alabama. A probation hearing is set for Jan. 14, 2009.
King commended Assistant Attorney General Ferris Stephens and Special Agent Bobby Briscoe for their work in handling this case. He also thanked the Department of Human Resources in Calhoun County for its assistance in preparing information and referring the matter to the Attorney General’s Office for review and appropriate action, noting in particular Interim Director Mary Ashcraft and Caseworker Tracey Owens of Calhoun County DHR, Claims Worker Charlotte Ponder of the Northeast Alabama Regional Claims Unit and Gwin Smith, a supervisor at the Northeast Alabama Regional Claims Unit.
“We appreciate the attorney general’s office recognizing the importance of removing fraud from the food stamp program. As much as our staff tries to make sure only those individuals who are eligible receive benefits, there are some who are going to commit fraud. It helps the morale of our office workers that the attorney general’s office is having success in helping us deal with those on the program who are not supposed to be on it,” said Ashcraft.
The Calhoun County case is part of a continuing statewide effort by King to aggressively investigate and prosecute welfare fraud. Prosecutions are pending in 38 counties including Etowah, Cleburne, Talladega and St. Clair.
