Arrested: When you Collect $70,000 in Welfare but Drive a BMW

As reported by the Times Union, a Latham man was arrested for collecting over $70,000 in welfare.  The problem being, he apparently was driving a BMW and a Mercedes-Benz too.  No judgement on anyone who collects welfare and drives a car, but talk about something that doesn't really make sense- which is probably one of the reasons why the guy wound up getting arrested!

According to an announcement through Albany County, Thanh Truong of Latham was one of five people charged for fraudulently receiving benefits from the Department of Social Services.  He received upwards of $70,000 illegally, and is now facing multiple charges, including second-degree grand larceny and second-degree welfare fraud.

Meanwhile, noted in the report, another Albany resident, Denise Mitchell, was charged with third-degree welfare fraud, amongst other charges.  According to the report, she received over $32,000 in benefits illegally.

As someone who use to work as a nurse case manager, I've had to help many many people fill out paperwork for food stamps, welfare, and other social benefits.  That stuff is not easy to do!  Let alone spending the effort to do all that PLUS try to be fraudulent about it- it just seems like far too much effort. If you're going to work that hard at something, why not do it a legal way and not have to face charges!