AUBURN, Maine — A Livermore woman pleaded not guilty Thursday to 11 felony counts of welfare fraud totaling more than $10,000.
Tiki L. Thomas, 35, of 735 River Road appeared in Androscoggin County Superior Court where she answered, “not guilty” each time as a judge read a total of 20 charges from a Sept. 5 grand jury indictment.
She was charged with one count of Class B theft, punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $20,000.
State prosecutors said she stole from the federal and Maine departments of health and human services more than $10,000 in benefits from Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and Additional Support for People in Retraining and Employment programs. The thefts occurred over four years ending last year.
Thomas suggested she wasn’t getting child support and/or that she was working at Knight’s Auto and/or that her children were deprived of their biological father, according to an Androscoggin County grand jury indictment. That was false, the indictment said.
She also was indicted on 10 counts of Class B aggravated forgery, each charge punishable by up to 10 years and a fine of up to $20,000.
In addition, she was indicted on nine counts of unsworn falsification, Class D misdemeanors, each punishable by up to 364 days in jail.
She is accused of forging notes from Donald Knight of Knight’s Auto that said she worked for him part time in 2009, 2010 and 2011 as a bookkeeper and was paid an hourly rate of $8 and $8.50. She also is accused of not disclosing that she was receiving child support over that same period.
The indictment said she created the false impression on a six-month report for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (known as food stamps) and on several case summaries at DHHS.
Androscoggin County Superior Court Justice MaryGay Kennedy said Thursday that Thomas could continue to be free on personal recognizance.
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HEADLINE MAINE
A dramatic drop in welfare benefits has stunned Democrats all over the state.
By enforcing the laws on the books and following the rules of the program the sate has seen a major drop in the tax money spent supporting welfare theft.
this story has nothing to do with Democrats
Right. Close your eyes, plug your ears, and repeat “nah nah nah nah…”
And this story still has nothing to do with Democrats.
And the democrate are now looking to expand public assistance and offering several new programs with this new found money.
Nice post! Starting the day off witha laugh!
This is just another witch hunt! NOBODY cheats welfare!!
//sarcasm off//
It appears she did and is suffering the consequences of doing so. That’s a good thing.
Now go listen to more WVOM.
It is about time! Pi$$ test them too!
Former DHHS commissioner Brenda Harvey said that Maine welfare fraud was only 0.2 %…forty times less than the national average of 4.0%.
If Brenda Harvey was right, then This ONE case with 20 counts must be the sum total of Maine’s welfare fraud. Not quite…this isn’t even the tip of the fraudulent iceberg that exists!
“Maine’s documented rate of fraud is two-tenths of one percent, compared to a national rate of 4 percent, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.” http://www.onlinesentinel.com/…
You can not find fraud if you do not look for it.
Just the tip of the iceberg…
I agree. This is not the last case we will hear of by any means.
If she is found guilty,no welfare benefits for the rest of her life besides going to jail and paying back what she stole!
“..She is accused of forging notes from Donald Knight of Knight’s Auto that said she worked for him part time in 2009, 2010 and 2011 as a bookkeeper and was paid an hourly rate of $8 and $8.50. She also is accused of not disclosing that she was receiving child support over that same period.”
It seems that these accusations could easily be proven, yet she pleads innocence? I guess it’s possible the father of her children paid in cash, although he’d be the first I have ever heard of trusting an ex enough not to have proof of payment. lol. It seems the courts would also have paper work designating the amount and frequency of child support. I suppose some people will go out of their way to play the system. All just so one can have a bigger TV, some bling-bling, some funds for bingo and the latest electronic gadget.
You would be surprised what people will lie about even there is documented evidence to show that it is a lie. When I was a social worker in MA, one of my clients was on the stand, and when her attorney asked her if she had a criminal record, she denied it. Unfortunately for her, the judge was reviewing that record even while she denied it existed. Chronic liars think that they can lie their way through anything and that everyone else is just stupid.
It isn’t worth it to try and fool the system. If she is sent to prison which is likely , her children are really going to suffer.
Yes, and it’s always the kids who suffer.Sad.
It’s people like this woman that are poster children for the need for welfare reform. Stuff like this needs to be verified.