INDIANAPOLIS — An Indianapolis woman will serve five years in federal prison after pleading guilty to defrauding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) out of more than $330,000.
Desha Morris, 39, pleaded guilty in the U.S. Southern District Court of Indiana to 10 counts of mail fraud and two counts of benefits fraud. In addition to her five-year prison sentence, Morris was ordered to pay $335,589.08 in restitution.
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Court documents reveal that from April 2020 to July 2022, Morris used numerous falsified documents and fake identities to fraudulently apply for SNAP benefits. Her scheme went as far as renting out multiple residences to use as mailing addresses for EBT cards and impersonating numerous fake applicants while on the phone with FSSA employees.
Morris used the fraudulently obtained SNAP benefits for herself while also selling EBT cards to others for cash, investigators said. In total, she siphoned $335,589.08 from the state through her illegal scheme.
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“Desha Morris’s actions not only defrauded the taxpayers who fund the SNAP program but also harmed the most vulnerable members of our community by undermining the integrity of critical safety net services,” said Tom Wheeler, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Her scheme jeopardized access to food assistance for those in genuine need and exposed innocent individuals to potential long-term damage to their credit and financial security. We will continue to aggressively prosecute those who abuse public programs for personal gain.”…