A lawyer in Connecticut is standing up for a number of state employees who allegedly committed fraud, and asking the governor to allow some of those workers to repay the money they received.

Following Hurricane Irene in August, the federal government provided aid in the amount of $12.4 million to the state in order to assist people with low incomes and who were not part of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Roughly 24,000 state citizens, including 800 state employees, received aid to help replace spoiled food.

The lawyer, who is representing 17 employees, said allowing repayment would be in the best interest of the state, because the state employees allegedly did not mean to violate the law.

According to the attorney, the employees did not intend to put their careers on the line for a mere $500, but rather though it was permissible for them to receive assistance. The attorney also believes that the state is wasting time by investigating those who did not intent fraud. Instead, he argued, investigations should be focused on those who intended to commit fraud by submitting false information on the application to receive assistance.

The attorney has suggested that workers whose applications are under investigation for understating their income and assets should be given 30 days to repay the money they received, and that they should be asked no questions.

Currently, the governor has said investigations will continue, though 29 people have been cleared of charges. About 44 state employees have already been investigated by the Department of Social Services. So far, two of the lawyer's clients have been involved in pre-termination hearings, and more are to be expected.

The governor said he does not expect difficulties in proving who has intentionally committed fraud. It is hoped that those conducting the investigations will observe due process and fairness to those charged.

Source: Associated Press, "Lawyer: Conn. state workers should repay food aid," January 2, 2012.