50 Charged in Child-Care Fraud Case
An alleged child-care scam managed in part by a prison inmate, with the help of his wife, who works as a California government employee, reportedly has resulted in charges against more than 50 people.
Some 20 arrests have been made in Nevada, Pennsylvania and Texas, and other suspects are being sought, according to the Associated Press.
The news agency reports that the claimed child-care fraud ring, according to prosecutors, involved at least two businesses that received government payments for operating apparently fictitious child-care centers. The alleged scam escaped detection in part because parents receiving subsidized child care reportedly signed attendance sheets showing that their children spent time at the nonexistent facilities. In exchange, they received kickbacks, the AP reports.
Many of those charged are facing multiple counts, including grand theft, conspiracy, perjury and receiving aid by misrepresentation, and they could be sentenced to substantial prison terms if convicted.
