Schuette, Corrigan announce food stamp fraud charges against ex-DHS employee

LANSING, MI--Attorney General Bill Schuette and Michigan Department of Human Services Director Maura D. Corrigan today announced that the Attorney General's Public Integrity Unit has charged a former DHS employee with one felony count of food stamp fraud. The charge resulted from a DHS Office of Inspector General investigation that revealed an employee whose job was to determine applicants' eligibility for food assistance continued to accept food stamp benefits she was approved for prior to working at DHS despite being ineligible due to her newly found state employment. ''This was a theft from Michigan families who are literally struggling to put food on the table,'' said Schuette. ''The message should be loud and clear: We will root out fraud and corruption anywhere we find it. If you violate the public trust, the consequences will be severe.'' ''I applaud Director Corrigan for maintaining these strong internal controls that identify bad actors so they can be brought to justice,'' continued Schuette. ''We are committed to improving the integrity of Michigan's public assistance programs to ensure that funds are used only for eligible families and individuals,'' Corrigan said. ''That's why the DHS Office of Inspector General aggressively investigates all complaints of fraud and abuse in the welfare system.'' Ternisa Mallette, 30, of Livonia, applied for Food Assistance Program (FAP) benefits on June 1, 2009 and was approved due to her unemployment at the time. On March 8, 2010, Mallette was hired as a full-time eligibility specialist at DHS. Eligibility specialists review applications for assistance and determine whether they meet state and federal guidelines to receive aid. Mallette completed training on April 30, 2010 and was assigned to the DHS Walled Lake District Office. Once Mallette began working full-time, her new household income no longer qualified her for food assistance. However, it is alleged that Mallette's Bridge card was used to make purchases totaling more than $1,740 at various locations even after she was working full-time. The Bridge card works like a debit card and is used to access benefits, including food assistance. DHS internal controls revealed that Mallette was receiving benefits to which she was no longer entitled, and on Sept. 24, 2010, the benefits were terminated. Mallette is no longer a DHS employee as of Nov. 29, 2010. An arrest warrant for Mallette on the felony charge of food stamp fraud was filed today with the 16th District Court in Livonia. Mallette faces a maximum possible penalty of 10 years in prison. On Jan. 4, 2011, Attorney General Schuette created a new Public Integrity Unit in the Attorney General's office to ratchet up the fight against corruption in state and local government, protect tax dollars and restore the public's trust in government. The Public Integrity Unit heightens the focus on public corruption cases by the Office of Attorney General, a priority Schuette identified upon taking office last month. Copyright © 2011 State of Michigan Published: Thu, Mar 3, 2011