Welfare fraud case in Orleans County leads to 8 charges
Eight suspects face charges in Orleans County after investigators said a series of public assistance cases uncovered welfare fraud tied to benefits they were not entitled to receive. The cases were handled by the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office and the county’s Department of Social Services in Albion, N. Y., and the suspects were released with appearance tickets for Albion Town Court. The alleged losses total $35, 468. 69 in benefits, and the welfare fraud allegations include several related counts.
Charges tied to public assistance investigations
The sheriff’s office said the suspects are Anne Bennett, Lawrence Worsley, Bobbie Taylor, Caitlyn Dehind, Anthony Gross, Stella Gresham, Billie Doxey, Jason Walsh, Shunieka Williams and Edward Ladue III. Each was charged with welfare fraud, grand and petit larceny, criminal use of a public benefit and offering a false instrument for filing. The welfare fraud cases were described as part of a series of investigations into public assistance fraud in Orleans County.
The total amount identified in the case was $35, 468. 69 in benefits, which investigators said the suspects collected without being entitled to them. All of the suspects were released from custody after the charges were filed and were told to return to Albion Town Court.
What investigators said happened
The Orleans County Sheriff’s Office said the cases were conducted with the county’s Department of Social Services. The accusations center on public assistance benefits and the alleged misuse of those benefits, making welfare fraud the central charge in each case. The filing of false instruments and the use of public benefits were listed alongside the larceny charges.
No additional details were provided about how the alleged scheme operated or whether the cases were linked beyond being part of the same round of investigations. The available information identifies the charges, the suspects, the amount involved and the court handling the next step.
Immediate reaction and next steps
No direct quotes from officials or the accused were included in the information released on the case. The sheriff’s office is the named law enforcement agency tied to the investigation, and the county’s Department of Social Services is the other institution identified as part of the work behind the welfare fraud cases.
The immediate next step is court: each suspect has been issued an appearance ticket to return to Albion Town Court. For now, the case remains centered on the allegations, the charges and the reported $35, 468. 69 in benefits tied to the welfare fraud investigation.
