Madison woman arrested in SNAP fraud investigation

A Madison County woman has been arrested for SNAP fraud following an investigation conducted by the Investigations Division of the Mississippi Department of Human Service.

State investigators found that Sabrina Catchings received an over-issuance of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits for $30,954.00 due to Catchings fraudulently receiving benefits for failure to report income and household composition accurately.

The case was investigated by DHS Investigator Nicholas “Ryan” Stokes of the MDHS Investigations Division.

The investigation determined that there was a “substantial amount of overpayment and the evidence of alleged fraud found during the investigation.” As a result, the case was turned over to Madison County District Attorney to be presented to the Grand Jury for criminal prosecution.

The Madison County District Attorney secured an indictment on Sept. 24, of this year and Catchings later turned herself into MDHS and Madison County officials the morning of Wednesday, Oct. 27.

MDHS Executive Director Robert G. “Bob” Anderson said that the Investigations Division is a subset of the MDHS Office of the Inspector General, which was created in August 2018 and charged with detecting, preventing and deterring fraud, waste and abuse within the agency. OIG has been responsible for millions in dollars collected from SNAP overpayments.

“This investigation and ultimate prosecution demonstrate the controls we have in place to identify, investigate and eliminate fraud in our programs,” Anderson said. “This is also a great example of cooperation between our county office, investigations team and local law enforcement.”

SNAP is the largest federal nutrition assistance program, according to benefits.gov. The website says that SNAP provides benefits to eligible low-income individuals and families via an Electronic Benefits Transfer card. This card can be used like a debit card to purchase eligible food in authorized retail food stores.

Suspected fraud can be reported to MDHS online any time by submitting the MDHS Fraud Tip Form at https://www.mdhs.ms.gov/report-fraud/, calling the Fraud Tip Line at 1-(800)-299-6905, or email at fraud@mdhs.ms.gov.