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Dearborn Woman Gets Prison For Food Stamp Fraud Involving More Than 300 Stolen Identities

DEARBORN (WWJ) - A Dearborn woman has been sentenced to almost six years in prison following an investigation into the large-scale trafficking of food assistance benefits.

Pamela Tribby was sentenced last month to 70 months in prison on charges of identity theft and theft of public money. The 53-year-old was also ordered to serve three years of probation following her release and pay $518,358 in restitution.

U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade said the scheme ran from September 2013 through September 2015. According to information provided to the court, Tribby violated regulations governing the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program funded by the USDA by applying for food assistance using more than 300 illegally acquired identities from an out-of-state stolen identity list. Tribby subsequently sold the acquired benefits, worth more than $518,000, to individuals who did not qualify for food assistance.

Inspector General Alan Kimichik, of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, said the agency has a variety of practices in place to combat the use of identity fraud by people improperly applying for public assistance. For example, the department uses a national database to spot people who applied for benefits in more than one state. The department is piloting a project that uses a data broker to assist in validating and authenticating identities of applicants.

"The MDHHS Office of Inspector General is committed to aggressively investigating the criminal activities of individuals who deprive needy residents of Michigan access to nutritious meals." Kimichik said in a statement. "We appreciate the assistance from our partners from the USDA-OIG, Michigan State Police and the Dearborn Police Department in assisting to bring this person to justice."

 

 

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