Almost 200 Pa. Residents Charged With Welfare Fraud In First Quarter Of 2019

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Almost 200 Pennsylvania residents were charged with welfare fraud in the first quarter of 2019.

The Office of State Inspector General said Monday that they have filed welfare fraud charges against 178 individuals between Jan. 1 and March 31.

The total restitution owed in these cases is more than $886,000.

Of those 178 cases, 90 cases of fraudulently receiving public assistance were graded as third-degree felonies.

One individual -- Sandra Perez, of Chambersburg in Franklin County -- allegedly fraudulently received $27,322 from SNAP and $41,708.93 in medical assistance.

Four Allegheny County residents are also facing charges.

Lyniqua Webb, Sheena Higgins, Jason Muhl and Jere Hyatt are accused of SNAP fraud. Webb, Higgins, Muhl and Hyatt are all from Pittsburgh.

If convicted, they face a maximum of seven years in prison and a fine of $15,000. They will also be disqualified from the benefits program they allegedly defrauded for a period of time.

A full list of defendants, visit www.media.pa.gov/Pages/Inspector-General.aspx.