$50,000 Gathered by Former Ohio County Employee Through Fraudulent Government Benefits
According to Auditor of State Keith Faber, in Richland County, Ohio, a County Grand Jury has indicted a former public assistance specialist who allegedly used her position to improperly secure nearly $50,000 in benefits for her boyfriend and his child.
According to a published post by NBC 4, seven Felony counts are being charged against Rebecca Shafer. The suspect is facing seven felony counts, including theft in office, telecommunications fraud, illegal use of food stamps, and Medicaid eligibility fraud, under the indictment, according to court documents that were unsealed Monday in Richland County Common Pleas Court.
Former Richland County JFS employee indicted after allegedly getting benefits for boyfriend and his child (Photo: NBC 4)
Former Richland County JFS employee indicted after allegedly getting benefits for boyfriend and his child
The administrator of Richland County Job and Family Services (JFS) forwarded a complaint to the Auditor of State’s Special Investigations Unit concerning an employee who allegedly used her position to improperly secure Medicaid and SNAP benefits for her boyfriend and his child.
As a result of her alleged actions, the suspect gathered an amount of $39,670 in Medicaid benefits and $8,304 in SNAP benefits which ended up in her boyfriend and child receiving these enormously unfair amounts. After such a scandal, Shafer quit her job at Richland County JFS in April 2021 and she was arraigned in Richland County Common Pleas Court on Monday afternoon.
Since 2019, the Special Investigations Unit has assisted in 97 convictions resulting in more than $4.9 million in restitution. The team receives hundreds of tips about suspected fraud annually.
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