Posted on 11/10/2011 10:48:45 AM PST by TSgt
CINCINNATI -- When three case workers at Hamilton County Job & Family Services were indicted, one former fraud investigator wasn't surprised.
Dennis Hoffman had told 9 News about the alleged thefts a full year before a grand jury handed up the 60-count indictment. And he had predicted more welfare fraud long before that. (Watch the original video report in the player to the left)
"I made the comment, 'why don't we just paint dollar signs on the side of the building and come in and take what you want.' Well obviously these three case workers did," said Hoffman.
In May 2010, 9 News reported how the 24-year veteran fraud investigator was laid off, and the entire fraud unit was shut down. Hoffman left behind boxes of case files and tips yet to be investigated.
Hamilton County Job & Family Services -- an agency with a $1.5 billion annual budget -- didn't just get rid of its entire investigation unit, the 24-hour fraud hotline was disconnected. Callers would get a wrong-number recording, directing them to the agency's main switchboard. After our investigation, the hotline was restored and now goes to a voicemail box checked by supervisors.
The William Howard Taft Building that once housed the fraud unit and other offices for the agency remains locked. Job & Family Services laid off 800 employees, half its total workforce. Since the fraud unit wasn't mandated by the state or federal government, and most of the money it recovered had to be returned to Columbus anyway, the unit was considered a luxury in an era of budget cuts.
More than two years after he lost his job, Hoffman still refuses to accept unemployment from the very agency that laid him off. He works one day a week as a courtesy driver at Mercedes of West Chester, and picks up the odd landscaping job to make a living.
Hoffman said, "I qualified for it, and a lot of people that I know that got laid off with me did receive unemployment, and that's their right. I chose not to. I chose to find work."
In October 2010, Hoffman tipped us off that multiple case workers within his old agency were under investigation for putting themselves, their families, or others who didn't qualify, on food stamps and medicaid. We confirmed the investigation with prosecutors, and reported what we knew at the time.
A year later, three case workers and several alleged conspirators were indicted on 60 counts of theft and fraud. They're awaiting trial right now, but the case workers resigned from Job & Family Services during the investigation.
"If it was an experienced case worker," Hoffman said, "he or she could go ahead and just approve their own case without it being looked over by a supervisor."
Hoffman admits the old fraud unit likely would not have caught an inside job. It was not the equivalent of internal affairs. But he says the elimination of his elite unit, combined with the fact the case workers could put just about anyone on welfare without a supervisor's approval, sent a message that no one was watching.
But people were watching. Supervisors and coworkers within Job & Family Services detected inconsistencies within certain case files, and alerted sheriff's deputies and the prosecutor's office.
"We've taken some additional steps in terms of checks and balances," said Moira Weir, the agency's director.
Job & Family Services says its case workers can no longer approve their own cases. Meanwhile, a supervisor and two employees are assigned to monitor and investigate the fraud tip line in addition to their other duties. A part-time investigator has also been hired, said the agency.
The year after our first report , Hamilton County started the Coalition to Stop Fraud, Scams & Abuse . One of the coalition's 10 members is Job & family Services.
Dennis Hoffman still hopes to do what he does best -- investigations. His resume shows his work as an investigator, but also shows he's willing to accept a position in security or loss prevention.
b
Is being black a requisite for a government job there?
Otherwise its curious that all 3 are black...
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