6 Fort Wayne women charged in welfare fraud scheme

FORT WAYNE, Ind. — The director of Fort Wayne’s federal housing program and five other women have been charged in an alleged welfare fraud scheme.

Betty L. Anderson faces felony theft and misdemeanor welfare fraud charges. The 61-year-old head of Fort Wayne’s Housing Choice Voucher Program had not been arrested as of Monday.

The Journal Gazette reports ( court documents say state officials in July erroneously placed $3,500 in food stamp benefits on a woman’s electronic benefit card, or 10 times the intended amount.

A state agency asked the woman to come to a local office to have the extra credit removed but she allegedly never arrived.

Prosecutors say that woman instead allowed five other women, including Anderson, to use the card at grocery stores where they spent more than $2,200.