Ex-nonprofit head pleads guilty in Mississippi welfare fraud

The former head of a Mississippi-based nonprofit organization has pleaded guilty to charges of welfare fraud.

The former chief executive of the now-defunct organization, identified as 61-year-old John Doe, entered the plea in U.S. District Court on Tuesday, admitting to defrauding the state’s welfare program of more than $1 million.

Doe reportedly falsified applications and documents in order to secure welfare benefits for individuals who were not eligible for them, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi.

The fraud, which took place between January 2011 and June 2019, involved more than 500 people who were falsely identified as employees of the nonprofit organization, thereby qualifying them for welfare benefits. Doe also reportedly sought to conceal his wrongdoing by falsifying documents and making false statements to welfare program officials.

Doe faces up to 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000, as well as restitution to the state.

The Department of Justice has indicated that its investigation into the fraud is ongoing.

John Doe, the former head of a Mississippi-based not-for-profit, pled guilty in U.S. District Court on Tuesday to charges of defrauding the state’s welfare program of more than $1 million. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi, the 61-year-old falsified applications and documents between January 2011 and June 2019 to illegally secure welfare benefits for over 500 individuals who were not eligible for them. In an effort to conceal his criminal actions, Doe was accused of falsifying documents and making false statements to welfare program officials.

Presently, Doe is subject to a maximum fine of $250,000, as well as restitution to the state and up to 20 years in prison. The Department of Justice is still actively investigating the case.