AUGUSTA, Maine — Maine Attorney General William Schneider says a Lewiston man has been ordered to serve 30 days in jail for stealing from the food stamps program.
Schneider says 35-year-old Robert Baylor pleaded guilty to one count of theft by deception and was sentenced last week for stealing $2,800.
Baylor was charged with stealing 14 months of Food Stamp benefits by selling his Electronic Benefits Transfer Card with $200 monthly benefits to another man for $100. The card works like an ATM card and requires that the card be swiped and a PIN number entered at a store checkout.
Schneider says the card loaded with state benefits “is not a commodity to be bought and sold.” The case was invested by state and Lewiston officials.
Good about time.
Wait…I thought there was no welfare fraud in Maine?
I hope he is also barred for ever receiving any benefits again. What 30 days in jail going to do in the long run.
Will we get the $2800 back?
Cha! Right!
Who’s we? How much of that 2,800.00 came out of your pocket, as a tax payer? People getting upset about such a minute thing is just madness. Who cares? I mean really?
He stole.
He has to pay it back, no matter the victim.
May seem like a drop in the bucket to you, but coupled with the cost of prosecuting, jailing, etc. (remembering that this is just one of many cases) that bucket fills up quickly! He stole from an expensive program that’s meant to HELP those that NEED it! I certainly don’t get where you can just brush this off, especially in such a vociferous way. Have a bad 4th did you?
I didnt have a bad 4th at all. Im like this all the time. Im just confused why people get so bent about this kinda stuff. “MY TAX DOLLARS!” kinda thing has always boggled my mind. People who think its directly their tax dollars he stole, or directly their hard earned money which goes to these and similar programs. Fact is this lots and lots and lots of people pay taxes. Lots of taxes. And it all goes to everything. But typically the working class is the first to complain when something like this happens, as if its their money. Well, it never was. It was the states or the feds from the start. People only get so bent about taxes because they look at their pay stubs and think about what could have been done with the money lost…. It is just a drop in the bucket. I do understand it adds up, but its just such a small amount of money. Alright, send him to jail. Mission accomplished. I understand he stole it, he should have to compensate the state somehow. I dont think jail is the best option, but thats how this country treats anyone who breaks the law. Jail. Doesnt matter if there is something else perhaps more logical and more useful to everyone, just send em all to jail. The SNAP program is very expensive, but perhaps they should make it so you cant buy gum and crap. I think thats more important then sending this guy to jail. Its a good program, it just needs adjustments. And by adjustments I mean they need to make it a healthier program. They need to focus on limiting what can be bought. People buying improper food are costing the tax payer more money then this guy, or anyone else doing illegal things with their F/S.
Your verbose and condescending reply referring to the working class as being the first to complain really angers my boggled mind! You don’t see the basic problem of theft from the gov. (us) because it is a big monolith that will manage without these drops in a bucket?
It’s a simple matter of mathematics: People contribute to filling said bucket.
We trust our gov employees to dole it out as/where it’s needed. When it empties it gets filled again by us. That’s called a budget, hopefully a balanced budget.
If somebody comes in and sneaks some out (by the drop or the cupful), it either has to be replenished or we do without. Hence the costs of borrowing money to make that bucket last for the year. The cost of that borrowing is laid squarely on the resentful “working man”.
I, and most everyone knows that the State and Federal tax pols are huge, but every time another entitlement creeps in on top of all the others just to have some d-bag to steal from is irritating to anybody that works to fill that bucket. Then to find out that the perp doesn’t have to pay restitution boggles my mind. We are above it now but there are still places that cutting off a hand would be in order. So I get incensed when these miscreants aren’t automatically required to put that drop or cup back in the bucket. A thief is a thief, no matter how rich or anonymous their victim is.
We’ve both stated our opinions. Discussion over.
Who cares?? Most of the working class people, that’s who!! It might be minute to you and you don’t care……but it’s not to us and we do care.
How much of your tax dollars did this man steal?
Instead of serving 30 days in jail, perhaps the state should put him to work for as long as it takes to pay the state back for what he stole.
SNAP is a Federal program and they give the money to the states. He stole from the Federal Government.
Money comes from both federal and state levels. Why do you think LePage is making cuts from the welfare program?…..He does not have the authority to make cuts from the federal monies, but he can from what the state kicks in.
So, there is no welfare fraud in Maine according to some and then on top of that, steal 14 months of benefits and only have to be in jail for 30 days?????????? Geesh, way to encourage crime Maine.
Uhhhh where is the restitution? The guy basically steals 2800$ from the state making 1400$ cash in the process for his troubles, gets 30 days in jail, and doesn’t have to pay it back????
I don’t know if you are aware that the “$” goes in front of the numbers, not after.
He’s from Dexter!
“The case was invested by state and Lewiston officials.” Invested?? Nice editing BDN!
Too bad more cases of fraud isn’t investigated by DHS when it’s reported! I know people who have reported, and nothing was done. Maybe if more was done, more would get reported! I have no faith, whatsoever in the DHS fraud unit……The state would get more tax dollars back…..
Our tax dollars are being used to pay the DHS fraud unit. Maybe that’s a program that needs to be cut, since no one is doing their job! There would be a savings, LePage!
How about charging the man who bought the cards?
I am not condoning theft by Decception but it seems to me the Attorney General has a double standard!
He needs to call up his buddy Poliquin, this guy needs a cellmate!
the case was invested by who??? nice editing job
I already said that……..
congratulations