What is the Penalty for Felony Welfare Fraud?
Full Question:
Answer:
In addition to the criminal penalties, under federal law, any person convicted in state or federal court of making fraudulent representations concerning his identity in order to receive multiple food stamp benefits simultaneously, is ineligible to participate in the food stamp program for a minimum of ten years and in some cases for life. Non-citizens of the United States who are convicted of welfare fraud offenses can be deported and denied re-entry into the United States.
The answer will depend on the charges brought. If you failed to report your income, the DA could charge you with one count of perjury for every statement you signed under oath where the income was not disclosed. You could also be charged with obtaining aid by false statements. District Attorneys will often agree to a plea to defrred adjudication or some jail time, probation, and reduction to a misdemeanor if the money is paid back. If you cannot afford an attorney, you should ask the judge to appoint the public defender to represent you. Your appointed attorney can give specific advice based on all the facts of your case.
Please see the following TX statutes to determine applicability:
§ 35A.02 PENAL Medicaid Fraud
(a) A person commits an offense if the person:
(1) knowingly makes or causes to be made a false statement or misrepresentation of a material fact to permit a person to receive a benefit or payment under the Medicaid program that is not authorized or that is greater than the benefit or payment that is authorized;
(2) knowingly conceals or fails to disclose information that permits a person to receive a benefit or payment under the Medicaid program that is not authorized or that is greater than the benefit or payment that is authorized;
(3) knowingly applies for and receives a benefit or payment on behalf of another person under the Medicaid program and converts any part of the benefit or payment to a use other than for the benefit of the person on whose behalf it was received;
(4) knowingly makes, causes to be made, induces, or seeks to induce the making of a false statement or misrepresentation of material fact concerning:
(A) the conditions or operation of a facility in order that the facility may qualify for certification or recertification required by the Medicaid program, including certification or recertification as:
(i) a hospital;
(ii) a nursing facility or skilled nursing facility;
(iii) a hospice;
(iv) an intermediate care facility for the mentally retarded;
(v) an assisted living facility; or
(vi) a home health agency; or
(B) information required to be provided by a federal or state law, rule, regulation, or provider agreement pertaining to the Medicaid program;
(5) except as authorized under the Medicaid program, knowingly pays, charges, solicits, accepts, or receives, in addition to an amount paid under the Medicaid program, a gift, money, a donation, or other consideration as a condition to the provision of a service or product or the continued provision of a service or product if the cost of the service or product is paid for, in whole or in part, under the Medicaid program;
(6) knowingly presents or causes to be presented a claim for payment under the Medicaid program for a product provided or a service rendered by a person who:
(A) is not. licensed to provide the product or render the service, if a license is required; or
(B) is not licensed in the manner claimed;
(7) knowingly makes a claim under the Medicaid program for:
(A) a service or product that has not been approved or acquiesced in by a treating physician or health care practitioner;
(B) a service or product that is substantially inadequate or inappropriate when compared to generally recognized standards within the particular discipline or within the health care industry; or
(C) a product that has been adulterated, debased, mislabeled, or that is otherwise inappropriate;
(8) makes a claim under the Medicaid program and knowingly fails to indicate the type of license and the identification number of the licensed health care provider who actually provided the sendee;
(9) knowingly enters into an agreement, combination, or conspiracy to defraud the state by obtaining or aiding another person in obtaining an unauthorized payment or benefit from the Medicaid program or a fiscal agent;
(10) is a managed care organization that contracts with the Health and Human Services Commission or other state agency to provide or arrange to provide health care benefits or services to individuals eligible under the Medicaid program and knowingly:
(A) fails to provide to an individual a health care benefit or service that the organization is required to provide under the contract;
(B) fails to provide to the commission or appropriate state agency information required to be provided by law, commission or agency rule, or contractual provision; or
(C) engages in a fraudulent activity in connection with the enrollment of an individual eligible under the Medicaid program in the organization's managed care plan or in connection with marketing the organization's services to an individual eligible under the Medicaid program;
(11) knowingly obstructs an investigation by the attorney general of an alleged unlawful act under this section or under Section 32.039, 32.0391, or 36.002, Human Resources Code; or
(12) knowingly makes, uses, or causes the making or use of a false record or statement to conceal, avoid, or decrease an obligation to pay or transmit money or property to this state under the Medicaid program.
(b) An offense under this section is:
(1) a Class C misdemeanor if the amount of any payment or the value of any monetary or in-kind benefit provided or claim for payment made under the Medicaid program, directly or indirectly, as a result of the conduct is less than $50;
(2) a Class B misdemeanor if the amount of any payment or the value of any monetary or in-kind benefit provided or claim for payment made under the Medicaid program, directly or indirectly, as a result of the conduct is $50 or more but less than $500;
(3) a Class A misdemeanor if the amount of any payment or the value of any monetary or in-kind benefit provided or claim for payment made under the Medicaid program, directly or indirectly, as a result of the conduct is $500 or more but less than $1,500;
(4) a state jail felony if:
(A) the amount of any payment or the value of any monetary or in-kind benefit provided or claim for payment made under the Medicaid program, directly or indirectly, as a result of the conduct is $1,500 or more but less than $20,000;
(B) the offense is committed under Subsection (a)(11); or
(C) it is shown on the trial of the offense that the amount of the payment or value of the benefit described by this subsection cannot be reasonably ascertained;
(5) a felony of the third degree if the amount of any payment or the value of any monetary or in-kind benefit provided or claim for payment made under the Medicaid program, directly or indirectly, as a result of the conduct is $20,000 or more but less than $100,000;
(6) a felony of the second degree if the amount of any payment or the value of any monetary or in-kind benefit provided or claim for payment made under the Medicaid program, directly or indirectly, as a result of the conduct is $100,000 or more but less than $200,000; or
(7) a felony of the first degree if the amount of any payment or the value of any monetary or in-kind benefit provided or claim for payment made under the Medicaid program, directly or indirectly, as a result of the conduct is $200,000 or more.
(c) If conduct constituting an offense under this section also constitutes an offense under another section of this code or another provision of law, the actor may be prosecuted under either this section or the other section or provision.
(d) When multiple payments or monetary or in-kind benefits are provided under the Medicaid program as a result of one scheme or continuing course of conduct, the conduct may be considered as one offense and the amounts of the payments or monetary or in-kind benefits aggregated in determining the grade of the offense.
§ 12.32 PENAL First Degree Felony Punishment
(a) An individual adjudged guilty of a felony of the first degree shall be punished by imprisonment in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice for life or for any term of not more than 99 years or less than 5 years.
(b) In addition to imprisonment, an individual adjudged guilty of a felony of the first degree may be punished by a fine not to exceed $10,000.
§ 12.33 PENAL Second Degree Felony Punishment
(a) An individual adjudged guilty of a felony of the second degree shall be punished by imprisonment in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice for any term of not more than 20 years or less than 2 years.
(b) In addition to imprisonment, an individual adjudged guilty of a felony of the second degree may be punished by a fine not to exceed $10,000.
§ 12.34 PENAL Third Degree Felony Punishment
(a) An individual adjudged guilty of a felony of the third degree shall be punished by imprisonment in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice for any term of not more than 10 years or less than 2 years.
(b) In addition to imprisonment, an individual adjudged guilty of a felony of the third degree may be punished by a fine not to exceed $10,000.
