The Mississippi Department of Human Services reported that a woman from Marion County who was charged with fraud after an investigation has entered a plea agreement.
The investigation of Shayla Cartier, 29, of Marion County was conducted by Agent Stokes of the Investigations Division of MDHS. Cartier received an over issuance of SNAP benefits between March 2015 to December 2020 by not reporting household composition and income accurately to MDHS. SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, was formerly known as the food stamp program. Cartier is disqualified from participating in the SNAP program for twenty-four consecutive months and is required to pay restitution in the amount of $18,000.00.
She entered into the plea agreement on February 25, 2022 before a Marion County Circuit Court.
“This investigation demonstrates the controls we have in place to identify, investigate, and eliminate fraud in our programs,” MDHS Executive Director Robert G. “Bob” Anderson said. “This is also a great example of cooperation between our county office, investigations team, and local law enforcement.”
The Investigations Division is under the MDHS Office of Inspector General (OIG), which was created in August 2018 and charged with detecting, preventing, and deterring fraud, waste, and abuse. OIG has been responsible for recovering millions of dollars from SNAP overpayments.
Suspected fraud can be reported to MDHS online any time by submitting the MDHS Fraud Tip Form at https://www.mdhs.ms.gov/
Sarah Ulmer
