DES Recovers $2M In Fraudulent Food Stamp And Unemployment Benefits

Published: Wednesday, July 23, 2014 - 1:12pm
Updated: Wednesday, July 23, 2014 - 1:13pm

The Arizona Department of Economic Security said it recovered more than $2 million in the last fiscal year in fines, fees and restitution.

Director Clarence Carter said the key areas of abuse were the fraudulent use of food stamps and the wrongful collection of unemployment benefits.

“We wanna get so good at this and so publicly present about it that that deters individuals from attempting it," said Carter.

Carter said 87 people were barred from the food stamp program for a year or more, while four got lifetime disqualifications. He added that 122 people were convicted of unemployment fraud, with seven of them sentenced to jail time and 71 placed on probation.