A Moss Point woman has been sentenced to three years of probation and ordered to repay more than $14,000 after admitting she obtained public assistance benefits she was not entitled to receive, according to a report in the Sun Herald.
Crystal Owens, 34, entered her plea in Jackson County court in connection with claims filed with the Mississippi Department of Human Services. Prosecutors said she fraudulently received $14,511 in state and federal food assistance funds between March 2012 and September 2013.
How the Scheme Worked
Court records indicate Owens filed paperwork asserting that five minor children lived in her household as dependents when they did not. In her plea, she acknowledged that she sought the benefits despite not having custody of her children at the time.
In addition to the probation term, the sentence requires full restitution of the improperly obtained funds. The case was handled in Pascagoula, where Jackson County courts sit, and was first reported by the Sun Herald.