"Cambridge man charged with stealing ID in benefits scam" by Milton J. Valencia |
Globe Staff, August 27, 2012
A Cambridge man used the identity of an out-of-state man to steal
tens of thousands of dollars in government benefits over the last two
decades, authorities alleged Monday.
Frederick Cross, 68, was charged with multiple counts of identity
theft and with making false statements under penalty of perjury and to
falsely obtain medical assistance. He faces up to 20 years in prison on
some of the charges.
“Public assistance fraud is much more than a crime against government
agencies,” said Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley, whose
office is prosecuting the case. “It’s a crime against the genuinely
needy who depend on state benefits to support the very young, the very
old, and the disabled. In this case, it also affected the innocent man
whose identity the defendant assumed. That man still lives with massive
inconvenience stemming from the charged offenses and likely will for
some time.”
Cross allegedly used the name of a man with a similar name and even
forged a birth certificate to apply for benefits. Since 2005, he has
received at least $65,000 in state benefits including MassHealth,
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and Emergency Aid for the
Elderly, Disabled and Children, authorities said.
Authorities said Cross also applied for Social Security Income and
Social Security Disability Insurance benefits three times since 1994
using the victim’s identity, though those applications were denied for
unknown reasons.
Cross, who said he was poor, was ineligible for the benefits himself
because he had outstanding warrants for his arrest for unrelated crimes
including larceny and operating a motor vehicle with a suspended
license.
Authorities in Massachusetts were alerted to the alleged theft after
the victim contacted several state agencies and the Boston police to
report that his identity was being used in loans and medical assistance
applications, and that he was receiving the bills.
A lawyer for Cross would not comment on the case Monday.
Authorities could not say how Cross was able to carry out the alleged
scheme for so long, but pointed out that he is accused of forging
documents as part of his plan. The Office of the State Auditor and the
Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General
assisted in the investigation.
Christopher Thompson, a spokesman for state Auditor Suzanne M. Bump,
said that his office is auditing the state Department of Transitional
Assistance and that proper precautions for such cases could become part
of that review.
“With this audit, we will be able to offer more insight into policies
and how cases like this can be prevented in the future,” he said....
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Related: Auditor documents $2.8m more in fraudulent public assistance
Bringing the grand total to $5.5 million, and while not condoning such actions it pales in comparison to the totals racked up by fraudulent banks (I discount the chump change fine settlements governments have "won" for criminal malfeasance by banks because lives have already been irrevocably altered) or the amounts of taxpayer dollars politicians throw away on themselves, favored friends, and well-connected corporate connections.
