Five years probation, reparations in welfare fraud case

By Tyler Estep (2190)
tyler.estep@gwinnettdailypost.com

Friday, August 24, 2012
© Copyright 2013 Gwinnett Daily Post

LAWRENCEVILLE -- A Gwinnett County jury has found a Lawrenceville woman guilty of claiming nearly $30,000 in food stamps and child care expenses that she was not entitled to.

The Gwinnett District Attorney's Office released information Friday on the case of Lindsay Dawn Small, who was convicted on one count of welfare fraud after a four-day trial. She was sentenced to five years of probation, with 11 months to be served in a work release program.

In addition to a $1,000 fine, Judge Valeria Head ordered Small to repay the money she fraudulently received.

According to officials from the district attorney's office, Small committed fraud by applying for and receiving $28,000 in food stamps and child care expenses. She claimed to live at her home on Village Run alone with three children.

"In fact, the trial revealed evidence that she was married and her husband was living in the marital home with her," Chief Assistant District Attorney Dan Mayfield said in a news release.

Gwinnett County jail records show Small was originally arrested in Oct. 2010.

Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Hendee prosecuted the case.

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Coolray 9 months ago

Another relative of Don Balfour

HonestIngine 9 months ago

She took a chapter out of Shirley Lasseter's playbook....

BuzzG 9 months ago

But the tip of the welfare fraud iceberg. No jail time?

news2me 9 months ago

We need more of this to set examples and stiffer punishments, and the taxpayers should get every detail of the fraud. Start with Illegal Aliens - then trickle down to the trailer and ghetto trash. Clean house on the welfare entitlements. People learn bad behavior and how to commit fraud by example and what the public will tolerate.

notblind 9 months ago

This is the "Great Society" that LBJ fought so hard for.

Kent 9 months ago

I have called Saxby and Johnny's offices many times asking what they are actively doing to cut spending on welfare and food stamps. While they have been in office and under Bush and Obama food stamp spending has gone up four fold. Their staffers said the senators agree there needs to be some reform, yet they are basically doing nothing to stop the insane drain on those who pay for these programs. They say there has to be a Safety Net. Hank Johnson's office is the same story of the Safety Net. How about the Safety Net for the taxpayers who are paying for these moochers???

dav 9 months ago

The reason they are not doing anything is they are gutless polititians who are afraid of making waves which may hurt thier chances in any future elections.The only future they are concerned about is thier own.

kevin 9 months ago

can you believe, no jail time for this idiot? What the heck do you think will make this person change with just some probation? They never stay on probation and the person assigned to watch them is a joke also. They never see anything bad.

Don_Coyote 9 months ago

Look at this from a fiscal point of view. She goes to jail you get to pay additional tax dollars of $40 a day for 3 hots and a cot with health care and she gets to continue sitting on her butt. Five years probation is no picnic and she is required to get a job and therefore able to pay her fine and restitution. If she doesn't she goes to jail anyway for probation violation.

Mack711 9 months ago

So what we are saying is that the taxpayer loses either way. Should this person violate probation they are subject to remainder of sentence in jail then we still have to pay for this and the family. How about taking the privilage to vote in elections away as well.

CrimJusPoliSciAttorney 9 months ago

 You cannot charge and punish someone who takes advantage of something the government promotes.  Besides, what about the husband?  Shouldn't he be charged right along the side of her.

 Folks, wake up and smell the coffee.  Obama (government) has been promoting this for the past four years.  It serves a multitude of motives.  First, government dependency is the first, and key step in converting a nation and government into socialism and marxism.  Its like fishing, once you have the people hooked, they are under your control, and there is nothing else to do except reel them in and put them in the boat.  Sure, there will be a few that get off the hook, they are the fighters; they are the ones who realize what is going on.  But there are more who want to get in, and be in the boat than those who want stay in the water and be "free-swimmers."

 Second, it is an election year.  The more Obama can hand out welfare to, whether they need it or not, the more votes he gets.  Isn't buying a vote illegal, and, isn't this exactly what Obama is doing?  With unemployment rates as high as they are, there are more people on government assistance today than ever before.  With that said, and to reply to previous statements within this blog regarding "take away her voting rights," if you charge her and convict her as a felon, she loses her right to vote automatically.  However, if they do that, Obama loses a vote, and then he has wasted his bribe money (welfare).  This is the exact same thing that has happened with his stance and support of the homosexuals.  For four years he has publicly opposed homosexuality; and in case you are not aware, the Islam religion and Muslims despise homosexuality, almost as much as they do of the infidel.  However, he now supports homosexuals; why?, because they make up a huge number in the United States, which equates to numerous votes.  Folks, he is not a stupid man!  The homosexuals should be livid with him for this strategic political maneuver.  This is exactly what he did four years ago to get the black vote.  He promised them to pay their mortgages and car payments, then once he got the vote he could care less about Americans.  I say that because you would be surprised at the number of people who contacted attorneys inquiring as to how they signed up for Obama's mortgage and car payment assistance plan.

Post 1 of 2; continued due to length restriction

R 9 months ago

FLAG ON PLAY

Formatting FOUL!

Penalty benched for 1 quarter!

CrimJusPoliSciAttorney 9 months ago

 One last thing regarding Mrs. Small and her welfare scam.  If you don't believe me in what I have said up until now, then let me leave you with even a bigger thought to chew on.  Why is she even being charged in the local municipal court, do you not see something wrong here?  Last time I checked, welfare was federal money directly funded by the federal government, always has been, and more than likely always will be.  So, why isn't she being tried downtown in federal court?  If you fraud a bank, which is privately or corporately owned, not a federal institution, rather only federally insured; you will be charged and tried in a federal court, and you will serve time in a federal prison.  In this case, she directly frauded the federal government and was not charged federally, nor will she see the inside of a federal prison.

 Ladies and Gentlemen, knowledge is power, as a fellow American and citizen I challenge you to educate yourself regarding our government.  Study socialism and marxism, and do not just study about what they are; study their historical element, and most importantly, study the manner in which they have come about in their respective countries, how they infiltrated the government and slowly took over.  It did not simply happen over night, it was a slow and gradual transition with a changing way of ideology amongst the leaders within the government; very much of what we seeing today, here in America.  Also study the history of the Founding Fathers with regard to the finding of the Constitution, and its protection from governmental powers.  Ladies and Gentlemen, before we even had a structured government our Founding Fathers knew and predicted the powers and corruption.  It is in black and white, all you have to do is read it and study it.  More importantly, read George Washington's farewell speach that he wrote.  Furthermore, it was once said that America would become socialist and then communist without ever being forced, rather it would slowly and eventually evolve all on its own, and that is exactly what is happening.

 WAKE UP AMERICA!!!!  It is time to stop sweeping it under a rug and pretending that it does not exist, and that it is not occurring.  Quit pretending it is not bad, and that it is going to get better.  It will get worse before it gets better.  And, it will never get better if Americans do not stand up and fight for our core ideology and beliefs that our grandparents, great-grandparents, and great-great-grandparents once instilled and planted into our family genes.  For one moment think how your great and great-great-grandparents (if they are deceased, especially war veterans) would think and say about what is taking place in America today.  Would they be as accepting, and quick to turn the other cheek?

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