A Tate County resident has surrendered to authorities for defrauding a federal food assistance program.
A SNAP fraud investigation conducted by the Investigations Division of the Mississippi Department of Human Service found that Erica Napper had illegally received $25,222 in benefits.
Napper obtained the benefits by not reporting her household income and composition accurately to the state. Based on the evidence obtained during the investigation, the case was referred to the Tate County District Attorney’s office.
The Tate County District Attorney secured an indictment on August 7 and Napper later turned herself in to MDHS and Tate County officials on September 24.
“This is a great example of collaboration between our investigations team, County offices, the District Attorney’s office, and local law enforcement,” MDHS Inspector General Sandra Griffith said.
Agent Hunter Walton of the MDHS Investigations Division investigated the case.
“This investigation demonstrates, once again, the strengthened controls we have in place to identify, investigate, and eliminate fraud in our programs,” MDHS Executive Director Bob Anderson said.
