EYEWITNESS NEWS (WBRE/WYOU) — Investigators in Pennsylvania have charged 90 people for alleged public assistance fraud in April and May.

During April and May 2024, the Office of State Inspector General filed felony charges of defrauding the public assistance system against 85 people and misdemeanor charges against five separate suspects.

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Allegedly the suspects either trafficked their public assistance or misrepresented their household circumstances and fraudulently received taxpayer-funded public benefits to which they were not entitled.

The restitution owed to the Commonwealth in these cases totals $716,496.

The maximum penalty for public assistance fraud is seven years in prison and a fine of $15,000. In the case of SNAP, Cash Assistance, or Subsidized Day Care fraud, defendants also face a mandatory disqualification period from the benefits program they allegedly defrauded.

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