NH DHHS Announces Recent Welfare Fraud Convictions; Releases Data on Welfare Fraud Cases
Monday, May 9, 2011 at 02:28PM Concord, NH – The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services
(DHHS), Special Investigations Unit (SI) is announcing convictions in two
recent welfare fraud cases. Lois Thomas of Manchester was recently
convicted of two counts of welfare fraud. Thomas was found guilty of
receiving public assistance for her daughter while her daughter was not a
household member as well as failure to report real estate and other
resources. Thomas was sentenced to one year in the Merrimack County House
of Corrections. Restitution was ordered in the amount of $44,292.00.
Lisa Dodge of Keene was recently convicted of two counts of welfare fraud
in Cheshire County Superior Court. Dodge was convicted of one count of
welfare fraud, along with one count of theft by unauthorized taking. Dodge
failed to report her husband as a household member to the DHHS. Dodge was
sentenced to 1 ½ to 3 years on the welfare fraud charge. That sentence was
suspended. She was also sentenced to twelve months on the theft charge
with six months suspended. The court has ordered her to pay $30,521.53 in
restitution.
Over the first nine months of State Fiscal Year 2011 (July 1, 2010 – March
30, 2011) 39 individuals were convicted of welfare fraud. During this time
an additional 24 cases of welfare fraud have been referred to New Hampshire
county attorneys for prosecution.