2 Plead Guilty To Housing Assistance Fraud in Montco
By Brad Segall
NORRISTOWN, Pa. (CBS) -- Two women today admitted in Montgomery County Court to stealing tens of thousands of dollars of taxpayer money in a public assistance benefits scam that, according to prosecutors, had been going on for several years.
In separate cases, Tracey Warren of Pottstown and Megan Benson of North Hills both pleaded guilty to felony theft charges. They were accused of falsifying their public assistance forms so they could get more rental subsidies from the federal and county government.
Prosecutors say the women failed to notify the authorities about changes in who was living in the homes and how much income there was.
Montgomery County prosecutor Noah Marlier says the victims are the taxpayers, and the people who really need the program.
"They may never get this help because there's such a long line, there's such a need," he tells KYW Newsradio. "These people took advantage of the opportunity that they were given."
Sentencing for the two women will come later this year, although an agreement has been reached on restitution which will see the women returning tens of thousands of dollars to the government agencies.
