Fraud, a type of larceny, involves using some form of deception in order to obtain property to which you do not have rights. There are multiple areas of fraud, including embezzlement, check forgery, wire fraud and credit card fraud. Welfare fraud is another, and refers to the intentional misuse of state welfare systems by withholding information or providing false or inaccurate information. Welfare fraud can take a variety of forms.

One example of welfare fraud are the currently allegations against state employees suspected of filing erroneous claims for a post-disaster food stamps program. At this point, 34 state employees are thought to have been involved in the fraud.

Connecticut state officials have not yet publicly identified any of the accused workers, but Governor Malloy has said the suspects are "relatively high wage earners." Two of the suspects under investigation are apparently state troopers.

At present, over 74,000 Connecticut residents receive food stamp aid. The Connecticut Department of Social Services administered the program in September, and allowed applicants to self-report their income, savings and the number of people in their household in order to expedite the process.

Those guidelines were reportedly designed after Katrina in order to help people obtain food more quickly. Governor Mallow has lamented that honest disclosure was not provided by some applicants, but an attorney for several accused state workers has accused social services workers of altering some applications in order to get food stamps out to more people.

The Department of Social Services will be investigating the food stamp program in order to get to the bottom of the matter. Hopeful the outcome of the investigation is fair to the accused parties.

Source: theday.com, "More state workers linked to alleged food stamp fraud," JC Reindl, December 16, 2011.