Three women have admitted to ripping off the Fayette County Department of Job and Family Services for a total of $31,098.07 in state government benefits after failing to report that their partners resided in the same homes with them.
—Devon Capehart, 26, of Washington Court House, plead guilty to theft by deception, a fourth-degree felony, during a Nov. 20 hearing in the Fayette County Court of Common Pleas.
Reports state Capehart used benefits between 2015 and 2016 but did not report the father of her child lived in the home and had income. The investigative summary from the agency says a total of $23,033.07 in Medicaid and food stamp benefits was used during this time period. Capehart will be sentenced during a hearing scheduled for Feb. 12.
—Marissa L. Prindle (Miller), 27, formerly of Jeffersonville, plead guilty Nov. 13 to theft by deception, a fifth-degree felony, and illegal use of supplemental nutrition assistance benefits, a fourth-degree felony, during a hearing in the Fayette County Court of Common Pleas.
An investigative summary from the Fayette County Department of Job and Family Services states that Prindle did not report to the agency that her husband was living in the home. She reported there was no income but her husband was employed. A total of $2,106 was reportedly used in food stamps benefits between January and June of 2017. Court records state Prindle now resides in Columbus. Prindle’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for Feb. 5.
—Melissa (Misty) Downing, plead guilty Nov. 7 to theft by deception, a fifth-degree felony. Downing was sentenced to two years of supervision with the Fayette County Adult Probation Department. She was ordered to pay $5,959 as restitution to the Fayette County Department of Job and Family Services.
The agency’s investigative summary states Downing applied for and used $5,959 in food stamp benefits between March 2016 and February 2017 but did not report to the agency that her husband resided in the same home. A timeline of events in the report states the investigator checked Downing and her husband’s records with various agencies, including the BMV, auditor’s office, marriage licenses, court records, and taxes. Failure to pay restitution, or any violation of the order, could result in the imposition of a suspended one year prison sentence.
