A Human Resources Administration employee was arrested today on charges that he's spent the last six years doling out $250,000 worth of food stamps in the form of Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards, for kickbacks between $100 and $200—in some cases on a monthly basis.
Harry Fletcher, 44, had the scheme down pat. "I've been rocking this for years," he allegedly told one of his cohorts. According to official Department of Investigation documents, Fletcher issued Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits without requiring, much less assessing, income documentation from the New Yorkers who received them. (SNAP recipients are supposed to provide proof of identity, address, and income before their eligibility can be confirmed.)
Two of Fletcher's regular recipients, who are now cooperating with DOI investigators, frequently referred new customers to Fletcher, all of whom received their loaded EBT cards in the Bronx, even though some of them lived as far away as New Rochelle and Wallkill, New York. Nine of these recipients were arrested this morning, along with Fletcher. They'd amassed between $18,800 and $35,000 in EBT dollars, each.
The whole crew is set to appear in Manhattan Federal Court today.
In a separate investigation, also concluded today, Peter Ransome, a Staten Island HRA employee with the authority to issue public assistance funds, was charged with sending $90,000 to a friend between March 2012 and September 2013, and sharing the spoils with her.
