BINGHAMTON — An investigation started in January revealed $254,508 in flood-aid related fraud in Broome County, according to Broome County Executive Debbie Preston.
State law allows for the replacement of food stamps when a recipient reports a loss of food resulting from disasters like flooding. Following the September 2011 flooding, Broome County Department of Social Services received 933 new food-stamp cases.
As a result of the screening process, the county denied 154 applications. Another 78 cases were closed as unsubstantiated, 59 cases were deemed substantiated as intentionally submitting a fraudulent application, and 17 additional cases are pending potential disqualification or possible criminal charges.
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As a result of the investigation, conducted by the county’s Security Division’s Case Integrity Unit, 59 individuals were disqualified from the food-stamp benefit program for a cumulative total of 900 months.
“There is no penalty too strict for people who attempt to scam the system at the misfortune of others,” Preston said in a news release.
Contact DeLore at tdelore@tgbbj.com
