Pennsylvania welfare supervisor charged over alleged food stamp fraud scheme

A Pennsylvania welfare supervisor allegedly stole more than $20,000 in food stamp benefits and traded access cards for crack cocaine, according to the New York Post. Prosecutors stated on Monday that 46-year-old Sheila McDonald, of Pittsburgh, managed EBT cards at the Lehigh County Assistance Office in Allentown. [1]

Investigators connected McDonald to 48 EBT cards that were utilized in more than 270 unauthorized transactions, the New York Post reported. The unauthorized transactions allegedly drained a total of $20,558.61 in benefits from the assistance office. [1]

The probe into the scheme began in November of last year, according to the New York Post. Authorities launched the investigation after discovering four unauthorized transactions on an EBT card that was never delivered to its intended recipient. [1]