Arrest Warrant Issued in Food Stamp Fraud

An arrest warrant was issued Oct. 8 for a Roland woman who allegedly obtaining food stamps by fraud, court records show.

Angel Keith, 40, faces a fine of up to $5,000, imprisonment for up to two years or both on the felony count. Her bond was set at $2,500.

According to court records, a state police agent with the Oklahoma Department of Human Services was assigned to the Keith case Oct. 22, 2019. In that investigation, the agent learned that Keith was receiving food stamps in the state of Oklahoma. At the same time she was allegedly employed in Fort Smith and her income was not being reported to the DHS.

The investigation further revealed that Keith reported that she was unemployed when she applied for benefits on June 12, 2017; Dec. 5, 2017; June 13, 2018; Dec. 11, 2018; June 13, 2019; and Dec. 9, 2019.

The affidavit in the case also showed that in case notes from the Department of Human Services, Keith was interviewed at least four times and continued maintaining that she was unemployed.

When the investigator met with Keith, she admitted she knowingly did not report her income to DHS when applying for benefits.

The Department of Human Services Benefits Integrity and Recovery Section calculated that Keith received $25,015 in food stamps from July 1, 2017, through March 31, 2020.

Laura Brown, KXMX Staff Writer

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