Food stamp fraud prosecutions fall despite rising usage

The state attributes the drop in cases to fewer investigators and changes in the federal program

By Rob Perez

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Jul 06, 2012

~~<p>The number of food stamp recipients in Hawaii who have been yanked from the program because of fraud has dropped dramatically since 2007 despite a huge expansion in the population getting such public assistance.</p>
<p>The state obtained disqualifications in about 275 administrative and criminal cases last fiscal year, a 50 percent decrease compared with the same period five years earlier, according to state data.</p>
~~

The number of food stamp recipients in Hawaii who have been yanked from the program because of fraud has dropped dramatically since 2007 despite a huge expansion in the population getting such public assistance.

The state obtained disqualifications in about 275 administrative and criminal cases last fiscal year, a 50 percent decrease compared with the same period five years earlier, according to state data. Login for more...