Mississippi woman Katrina Harris incorrectly reported her income and home composition to the government for SNAP assistance.
A Mississippi woman recently turned herself in for intentionally defrauding a low-income federal food assistance program. Following a SNAP fraud investigation carried out by the Mississippi Department of Human Services’ Investigations Division, the Pike County woman, Katrina Harris, gave herself up to authorities.
Snap is the government’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which aims to reduce poverty and food insecurity for low-income families by assisting families with their grocery budgets to allow them to continue to grow economically. The website’s description reads, “SNAP provides food benefits to low-income families to supplement their grocery budget so they can afford the nutritious food essential to health and well-being.”
Harris turned herself in to MDHS, the Mississippi Department of Human Services, and the Pike County law enforcement just three weeks after the indictment was granted on March 26.
MDHS Inspector, General Sandra Griffith, called the case an excellent display of teamwork from the county’s law enforcement and resource teams. Griffith said, “This is a great example of collaboration between our investigations team, county offices, district attorneys, and local law enforcement.”
Another official, MOHS Executive Director Bob Anderson, added, “This investigation demonstrates the strengthened controls we have in place to identify, investigate, and eliminate fraud in our programs.”
Fraud relating to SNAP falls under the MDHS jurisdiction, particularly their branch that is “tasked with detecting, deterring and preventing fraud, waste, and abuse.”
Source: Black Enterprise
