Wednesday, December 2, 2015

HRA workers stole welfare and food stamp benefits

From the Daily News:

A pair of corrupt city bureaucrats ripped off more than $2 million in food stamps and public assistance over the last five years — even using stolen benefits to buy Red Bull in bulk and resell it, the city Department of Investigation announced Tuesday.

Two Human Resources Administration workers and 11 co-conspirators were arrested early Tuesday and charged with recruiting dozens of welfare recipients and others to game the system out of millions of taxpayer dollars between 2008 and 2013.

Cherrise Watson-Jackson, 44, an HRA supervisor, allegedly created fake electronic benefit transfer cards to generate $120,000, which was used to buy cases of Red Bull from BJ's Wholesale Club, according to charges filed in Manhattan federal court.

Watson-Jackson and her crew then resold the high-octane drink to small local grocery stores and split the proceeds, DOI alleged.

Another HRA employee, Petronila Peralta, 51, was caught allegedly generating more than $600,000 in bogus cash assistance benefits to 140 individuals between 2008 and 2011.

Peralta even paid recruiters to give welfare recipients cash to use their account information to generate fraudulent benefits, DOI said.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

After they go to jail, will they still be able to collect their pension, like Sheldon Silver?

Middle Villager said...

"Watson-Jackson was released Tuesday on $300,000 bond and got a taxpayer-funded lawyer because she says she can’t afford one. "... This one gets caught stealing taxpayer money and then has the nerve to ask for a taxpayer-funded lawyer. I'm so glad my money is being put to good use.

Anonymous said...

"Watson-Jackson signed off on “rental arrears" checks to pretend landlords “to cover phony back rent owed by the phantom tenants"

Knowing the system always helps. since taking office Dumblasio has been throwing money at people claiming they ave "rental arrears" without any proof of such. He and Banks even created a unit whose sole responsibility it is to drive around the city and hand deliver rental arrears checks to landlords or their representatives.

HRA was treading water the minute that moron was elected and has been a sinking ship ever since. the cretins rule the day and the honest workers get shafted. gotta love new york.

Anonymous said...

After they go to jail, will they still be able to collect their pension, like Sheldon Silver?

No. Only the upper echelon -- those who actually make the laws to benefit themselves -- are able to be crooks and collect their pensions. The peons, as usual, get punished without benefits.

Not that these people don't deserve to be punished but they should be treated equally, even if they are crooks.

Anonymous said...

HRA is a very corrupt agency. Affirmative Action promoted black female supervisors do not know how to do the the jobs they are supposedly supervising. They are simply not qualified. They spend a majority of the work day talking on the phone, flipping through magazines and newspapers, shopping online, harassing, bullying and lying about any white person who slipped in to the job. All on your tax dime. All thanks to the corrupt unions that enable this waste and theft of civil service.

Someone I know has been applying for food stamps since July. The black workers keep denying them. The biggest problem is the Caribbean mafia at HRA. Investigate any and all employees from any where in that part of the world. Illegal immigrants, Muslims wearing head scarves, are left alone to work in peace while Americans are forced out of a civil service jobs with constant bullying. The Caribbean supervisors violate the city's code of conduct every day.

For every welfare worker that gets caught scamming HRA, there are fifty more doing it. Ask anyone who applies for benefits, the workers act like it's their money and in a way it is, since they control access to the benefits.

Funny how it is so easy for HRA workers to rob and steal but when an honest person goes to HRA when they need help, they are mistreated and often do not get the benefits that they are entitled to. Did you ever wonder why we have so many homeless? A lot of them are entitled to benefits but they have had their benefits stolen by welfare workers.

Anonymous said...

THERE IS SO MUCH FRAUD HAPPENING IN THIS CITY IT'S UNREAL!! THE WORST THING OF ALL IS THAT IT'S NOT JUST CROOKED POLITICIANS BUT REGULAR PEOPLE WHO ALREADY MAKE ENOUGH TO LIVE IN THIS CITY AND HAVE ALL THE ACCESS TO CREDIT BUT FEEL IT STILL ISNT ENOUGH. THERE IS WELFARE FRAUD, MEDICAID FRAUD , HOUSING FRAUD, TAX FRAUD, VOTER FRAUD. YOU NAME IT AND IT EXISTS. THE MAJOR QUESTION IS WHY THE STATE AND THE FEDS NOT DOING THEIR JOBS. THE NEXT PRESIDENT NEEDS TO SET ASIDE FUNDS TO HIRE MORE FEDERAL INVESTIGATORS TO CRACK DOWN ON THIS....

Anonymous said...

She only made $63000 per year, and they forgot to mention health benefits, tuition reimbursement, pension, vacation, sick days and all kinds of perks a city worker gets, easy access to credit for automobile loans and mortgages. They should find her property that she bought with the money she ripped off and seize it. at the very least freeze all heir assets. Make them both pay restitution. See who works at HRA? the scum of the earth. Maybe the NYC dept of investigation is in on it too?

Anonymous said...

some of the relatives of people scamming the city out of welfare $$$$ don't want to rat them out. As the saying goes 'Snitches get Stitches'. The only solution is to dedicate more resources to battle this epidemic. Hire more investigators but make sure they are educated, dedicated and good at what they do...

Anonymous said...

What's the difference between HRA workers and welfare recipients? I can't tell.

How long til we're done paying these reparations?