The Department of Justice (DOJ) has announced that fifteen people, 11 illegal aliens and four U.S. citizens have been arrested for benefit fraud in Massachusetts, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. The defendants are accused of pilfering more than $1.4 million in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits fraud, MassHealth benefit fraud and disability and unemployment benefit fraud, just to name a few.
In the DOJ’s press release, Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald said these cases highlight a troubling pattern of the “exploitation of America’s safety-net by illegal aliens.” He asserts that the National Fraud Enforcement Division is focused on finding fraud no matter who is responsible because it costs American taxpayers and strains the public benefits systems.
Brian Camenker, president of MassResistance, says the DOJ is very upset that state law enforcement is not helping.
"The Massachusetts government, starting with Gov. Maura Healey, wants nothing to do to help round these people up or solve these crimes at all. Basically, it just appears you live here, that the government wants illegal aliens to be able to scam money from the government,” says Camenker. “This is the mindset that these leftists in power here have. I'm sure this is just, as they say, the tip of the iceberg. I'm sure it's a lot worse.”
Many residents, he notes, are thankful that Leah Foley, U.S. attorney for the District of Massachusetts, is enthusiastically doing her job.
In the press release from the attorney’s office of the District of Massachusetts, Foley said there is nowhere in the world where a person can reside illegally in a country and be handed free food, free housing, free healthcare and free monthly.
“However, it appears that you can come to Massachusetts and steal as many benefits as you want without fear and without any accountability. This is all ending on my watch. Beginning today, we will be announcing benefit fraud charges on a rolling basis,” Foley said.
Camenker says that the people who came to the U.S. illegally were probably criminals in their former country, and many of them have been convicted of crimes here.
"So, it's just a horrible, horrible situation. Thank God we have a U.S. attorney that's doing something," Camenker says.
