Franklin County Special Grand Jury Indicts Former State Employee For Welfare Fraud

FRANKFORT, KY (March 21, 2006) – Attorney General Greg Stumbo announced today that a former employee of the state’s Cabinet for Health and Family Services has been indicted by a Franklin County Special Grand Jury on a total of 26 felony charges of Welfare Fraud alleging she misappropriated over $37,000 in state welfare benefits. The Special Grand Jury, which was empanelled in June 2005 by Franklin Circuit Judge William Graham, is also currently conducting an investigation into alleged state merit hiring violations by employee within the administration of Governor Ernie Fletcher.

“It is critical that we make sure that every Kentucky taxpayer dollar is accounted for which is being spent on those who most need it,” Attorney General Greg Stumbo said. “My office will vigorously investigate and prosecute state employee who misappropriate this financial assistance intended for our most needy citizens.”

LaTannya Turner, a state employee, who resides in Jeffersonville, Indiana, is charged with having defrauded the state’s welfare system of over $37,000 from 2002 through 2005. The 26 felony charges allege that the employee misappropriated state welfare benefits to herself and others from several different state programs which she administered, along with being a persistent felon.

“The charges stem from ongoing investigations being conducted by the Attorney General’s Kentucky Bureau of Investigation into problems associated with the administration of the state’s welfare system. Investigations by the Attorney General’s office from 2002 through 2005 have resulted in felony criminal prosecutions against 28 former state employees which resulted in losses of over $700,000 to the state of Kentucky,” said Stumbo.

The Special Grand Jury is charged with looking into specific cases of waste, fraud and abuse of the state welfare system by state employees and reviewing evidence and identifying problems in the administration of the state welfare system which allow the fraud to go undetected.

The Special Grand Jury continues its work on Thursday, March 23, 2006.