Boca Raton Man Accused Of Welfare Fraud. Claims No Income For 5 Years. Collects Government Assistance. Spends More Than $3.6M On Wire Transfers.
BOCA RATON, FL (Boca Post) — A Boca Raton man is facing fraud and theft charges, according to jail records released to Boca Post by the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.
A 42-year-old Boca Raton man has been arrested Monday morning by the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.
Boca Post has been notified that the charges filed include “LARC – GRAND THEFT 750 LESS THAN 5K DOLS” and “FRAUD – ENGAGE IN PUBLIC AID FRAUD 200 DOLS LESS 20K”
According to an arrest affidavit submitted by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, an investigation into the man’s financial activity found that he fraudulently acquired relief from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) via the use of Electronic Benefits Transaction Cards (EBT) in February 2017. According to investigators, he didn’t need the assistance.
The investigation also uncovered transactions in excess of $3.6M where the man would use pre-purchased Visa gift cards to make large payments to Moneygram and Western Union. Investigators say that the man would make those payments using pre-paid Visa gift cards. Investigators determined that the man made over a thousand transactions at a handful of Walgreens locations around Boca Raton.
Investigators also found that the man lied to the finance company when he purchased his new car in 2017. When the man bought his 2017 Honda, he disclosed that he makes $15,000 a month as an income from being a “Consultant” at “The Man”.
The source of this money is not currently known but investigators are certain that he is making more than what he told the government he is making. When the man applied for SNAP in 2017, he claimed that he had no income at all and was then granted max benefits.
The man was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail at approximately 9:00 AM on Monday morning. The man has since been released on a $6,000 bond.
