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DCF supervisor charged in theft of $1.5 million from Plantation office
DCF supervisor charged in theft of $1.5 million from Plantation office
Woman, 2 sisters allegedly took $1.5 million By Sofia Santana and Brian Haas | South Florida Sun-Sentinel December 8, 2007 http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/loc...,6681498.story A supervisor at the Florida Department of Children & Families office in Plantation has been charged, along with two alleged accomplices, with stealing more than $1.5 million in state welfare money. The supervisor gained access to a welfare recipient's account and authorized that additional money be placed in it — money that was later withdrawn by the supervisor and one of the alleged accomplices. Violet Jones, 41, of Miramar, worked for the social services agency for 22 years with an annual salary of $37,600 but on Friday was terminated, officials said. She was arrested Thursday night and remained in the Broward County Jail late Friday on $600,000 bail. Charged as accomplices were sisters Shanika and Tanisha Shorter, 25 and 22, respectively, of Fort Lauderdale. Both, too, were being held in the county jail late Friday. No one answered the phone at the women's homes Friday evening, and it was not known if they had hired attorneys. Authorities say the theft occurred over about three years, beginning in January 2005, but was not discovered in random audits at the agency until last month. DCF auditors noticed suspicious activity logged on some welfare cases and launched an investigation with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, officials said. The investigation remains open, and additional charges against the three women are possible, officials said. "We expect our employees to embody the highest standards of ethics and integrity, but sadly, it appears Ms. Jones chose to take advantage of this Department and the vulnerable families served by our Temporary Cash Assistance program," DCF head Bob Butterworth said Friday in a written statement. Jones manipulated a welfare account to get money that she then used to gamble at South Florida casinos, purchase a Lexus SUV and make payments on a Lexus sedan, said Paige Patterson-Hughes, a FDLE spokeswoman. "As a supervisor, she had access to certain DCF systems," Patterson-Hughes said. Jones used that access to have a South Florida man's electronic benefits transfer card mailed to her home, investigators said. The card is basically a government-issue debit card for emergency cash or food stamps. Jones then authorized additional cash benefits to the account, which allowed her to use the card to withdraw anywhere from $900 to $63,000 each month, officials said. Also, Tanisha Shorter used her sister Shanika's EBT card to withdraw cash from the account Jones had manipulated, officials said, and then gave some of the money to Jones. Investigators do not think the man whose account was used in the alleged scheme was involved in it, officials said. The formal charges against Jones a first-degree grand theft over $100,000, organized scheme to defraud, identity theft, official misconduct, unlawful compensation and money laundering. The Shorter sisters have been charged with first-degree grand theft over $100,000, organized scheme to defraud, money laundering and welfare fraud. Tanisha Shorter faces additional charges of violating her probation, which state records show stems from a March 2006 arrest on theft and fraud charges. Staff Researcher Gail Bulfin contributed to this report. Sofia Santana can be reached at or 954-356-4631. CURRENTLY CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES VIOLATES MORE CIVIL RIGHTS ON A DAILY BASIS THEN ALL OTHER AGENCIES COMBINED INCLUDING THE NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCY/CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY WIRETAPPING PROGRAMS.... CPS Does not protect children... It is sickening how many children are subject to abuse, neglect and even killed at the hands of Child Protective Services. every parent should read this .pdf from connecticut dcf watch... http://www.connecticutdcfwatch.com/8x11.pdf http://www.connecticutdcfwatch.com Number of Cases per 100,000 children in the US These numbers come from The National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect in Washington. (NCCAN) Recent numbers have increased significantly for CPS *Perpetrators of Maltreatment* Physical Abuse CPS 160, Parents 59 Sexual Abuse CPS 112, Parents 13 Neglect CPS 410, Parents 241 Medical Neglect CPS 14 Parents 12 Fatalities CPS 6.4, Parents 1.5 Imagine that, 6.4 children die at the hands of the very agencies that are supposed to protect them and only 1.5 at the hands of parents per 100,000 children. CPS perpetrates more abuse, neglect, and sexual abuse and kills more children then parents in the United States. If the citizens of this country hold CPS to the same standards that they hold parents too. No judge should ever put another child in the hands of ANY government agency because CPS nationwide is guilty of more harm and death than any human being combined. CPS nationwide is guilty of more human rights violations and deaths of children then the homes from which they were removed. When are the judges going to wake up and see that they are sending children to their death and a life of abuse when children are removed from safe homes based on the mere opinion of a bunch of social workers. CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES, HAPPILY DESTROYING THOUSANDS OF INNOCENT FAMILIES YEARLY NATIONWIDE AND COMING TO YOU'RE HOME SOON... BE SURE TO FIND OUT WHERE YOUR CANDIDATES STANDS ON THE ISSUE OF REFORMING OR ABOLISHING CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES ("MAKE YOUR CANDIDATES TAKE A STAND ON THIS ISSUE.") THEN REMEMBER TO VOTE ACCORDINGLY IF THEY ARE "FAMILY UNFRIENDLY" IN THE NEXT ELECTION... |
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