By Michelle Tuccitto Sullo
Investigations Editor
The Office of the Chief State’s Attorney has decided against pursuing criminal charges against any state employees or private citizens who received D-SNAP benefits they weren’t entitled to following Tropical Storm Irene in 2011.
Deputy Chief State’s Attorney Len Boyle said, “It ultimately came down to the allocation of resources.”
Boyle noted there were administrative and other remedies applied in the cases, such as disciplinary action against the state employees.
“All of these cases involved dollar amounts under $1,000,” Boyle said.
Dozens of state employees were terminated amid allegations of food stamp fraud following the August 2011 storm. However, all but four of 97 terminations were later overturned in arbitration.

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By Michelle Tuccitto Sullo

Investigations Editor

More than a year after dozens of state employees were terminated amid allegations of food stamp fraud following Tropical Storm Irene, most have gotten their jobs back, and no one has been arrested.
A probe into whether there was any criminal wrongdoing on the part of state employees or other state residents is ongoing.
After the August 2011 storm, more than 1,000 state employees and thousands of private citizens applied for and received benefits through D-SNAP, or the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The applicants typically got between $200 and $1,200 via a debit card.
The state Department of Social Services, which administers the program, did a post-disaster review, to determine if beneficiaries had obtained benefits improperly, such as by understating their incomes.

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