SC food stamp fraudsters ordered to pay back hundreds of thousands of dollars

South Carolina is getting payback from those fraudulently misusing food stamps.

S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson announced Thursday that restitution totaling $215,249.46 has been paid back from food stamp fraud cases in 2017.

During 2017, 60 individuals were prosecuted state-wide for food stamp fraud with $209,132.67 in restitution ordered to the Department of Social Services. Over the course of the year, $215,249.46 was collected in restitution either through cases in the probation system or by payments made directly to DSS, Wilson’s office said.

“The people in our office and at DSS have been working hard to find people who are abusing the system and making them pay back what they’ve stolen from taxpayers,” Wilson said in a news release. “The food stamp program is crucial to so many families and individuals who use it the way it was intended, so we’ll continue to bring to justice the criminals who are stealing money not only from taxpayers but also from those in need.”

Approximately 703,023 South Carolinians receive federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. Recipients can use them to buy unprepared food items, such as milk and meat, bread, beans and rice to feed their families. Wilson noted that while the majority of SNAP recipients use the program as intended, those who abuse it divert funds from families who rely on the program.

If you know or suspect someone who is committing food stamp fraud, please report it by calling the tip line at 1-800-616-1309.

This story was originally published January 18, 2018 at 3:57 PM.