Welfare Fraud: Lottery Winner Caught Collecting Food Stamps Now Facing Four Years in Jail
- Posted on April 17, 2012 at 4:10pm by
Erica Ritz
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A little more than a month after it was revealed that lottery-winner Amanda Clayton was still collecting government benefits via food stamps, she has been arrested and is facing up to four years in jail for fraud.
(Related: You Have to Hear This $1M Lottery Winner Defend Why She’s Still on Food Stamps)
At the time the story broke, Clayton explained: “I thought that they would cut me off, but since they didn’t, I thought maybe it was okay because I’m not working.”
When asked if she thought it was “right” to accept taxpayer money — even if she was under the impression it was legal– she said “kind of…I mean, I have no income and I have bills to pay.”
Clayton reportedly bought two houses and a car with her unexpected riches, but was loathe to forfeit the $200 a month she was receiving in government assistance.
Amanda Clayton (Photo: Facebook)
Clayton reportedly had ten days to report the significant asset change to the state, but failed to do so.
“She‘s upset but she’ll be fine,” her lawyer said, after she was arrested Monday. Though he did not explain how, he also said that he hopes to see her charges dismissed at the next hearing.
However, it doesn‘t help her case that Michigan’s Attorney General Bill Schuette seems completely unsympathetic, commenting: “It’s simply common sense that million-dollar lottery winners forfeit their right to public assistance.”
Here is the video that originally “busted” Clayton:
Republican lawmakers are now taking steps to pass a bill that makes it illegal for lottery winners to collect food stamps. The bills, one for the house and one for the senate, stipulate that winners of more than $1,000 must have their names cross-checked with the Department of Human Services before receiving government assistance.
However, some small-government advocates worry that creating a bureau to monitor lottery winners will be just as costly for the taxpayer as continuing to pay the few who strike it lucky.
All of this, they say, because a woman who won close to a million dollars wouldn’t give up her $200 monthly check from the government.
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Comments (87)
Truthmonster
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 6:04pmI bet a million dollars she’s a Democrat!
Report Post »FlashRiver
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 9:28pmi beg to differ… do you honestly think she would only be getting $200 a month while being wealthy? Come on… look at Millionaire Nancy Pelosi, while she was House leader had a private jet flying her, her family and friends all over the world costing the taxpayer millions. How about the obama’s wife, who well can afford her own vacation on her own dime is costing the taxpayer millions… so you see, we need to put things into perspective. this girl must not be a democrat cause she would have ripped off the system way more than she did. $200 dollars VS hundreds of Millions…
Report Post »OklahomaBound
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 9:32pmIt just goes to show how much of a hold the socialist party has on its useful 1diots, they are so enslaved by entitlements that they can‘t even let go of the unconstitutional benefits they get from their masters after they’ve won a lottery.
Report Post »Detroit paperboy
Posted on April 18, 2012 at 4:20am95% of all welfare is fraud, including the 350 pound pig I was behind in the grocery store ,,,,, using foodstamps …… Let them starve, hunger is a wonderful motivator to work 16 hours a day !!!!!!! Trust me.
Report Post »The_Almighty_Creestof
Posted on April 18, 2012 at 8:38amShe should have notified them to cancel her benefit. That being said, lottery winnings are very odd. Last I read (at least in California) lottery winnings could not even be considered for loans and so on.
If you chose to receive your winnings at $50,000 a year and it would come to you for the next 20 years, banks would not loan to you as it was not considered a guaranteed income as far as they were concerned. It was not colateral.
Report Post »Nerfburger
Posted on April 18, 2012 at 10:13amThis isn‘t the first person to receive gov’t benefits after winning the lottery… what about the guy who won the Michigan lottery on TV and was interviewed getting out of his new BMW because he was still receiving welfare and food stamps? This isn‘t an isolated incident and I’d be willing to bet that the gov’t would rather keep people on the public dole to make them slaves to the system, but when the people find out they‘re footing the bills for millionaires the gov’t puts on their big-boy pants to let the public think they are on the ball and won’t stand for it… all while the others duping the system are getting away scott free! My feeling about this woman is that she is just an idiot who probably doesn’t realize that all those words on the food stamps forms actually form sentences that describe what can happen if she gets caught defrauding the system, but the only words she looked for was the ones that said “Sign Here”. Let the moron pay back how much she got from the taxpayers for the past year with a little extra to pay for the paperwork involved, and slap her on the wrist and let her go blow her money… she’ll be back in the welfare office in a year or two anyways!
Report Post »crackerone
Posted on April 18, 2012 at 10:58amI’ll chip in a quarter. We can get a rat to chew that mole off her face.
Report Post »old white guy
Posted on April 18, 2012 at 2:36pmthis is seriously old news.
Report Post »cmi
Posted on April 18, 2012 at 4:23pmWhat the state should say is,….O.K., you can stay on assistance & draw your $200. per month, but you have to forfeit your winnings to the state!!! Completely take her winnings away from her!! At least makr her pay back what she’s got from the state in assistance!! These G.D. people like this are nothing but low-life worms!! There’s people working 2 jobs, trying to survive & pay taxes, so the state can hand it to “slugs” like this skank!!
Report Post »Delta9SFBay
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 4:27pmProbably doesn’t even vote and she looks like shes been doing drugs and partying since she won.
Report Post »Realman30
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 6:03pmOne guess who she voted for in 2008!
Welcome to Obama’s America!
Report Post »LegionOfOne
Posted on April 18, 2012 at 1:33amYou kidding? Look at her. I doubt she knows what voting is.
Report Post »George40
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 5:48pmTypical Stupid welfare mentality!
Report Post »I hope she serves all 4 years in Jail.
Is it our fault that she has 2 houses?
Why is she entitled to the money?
It must be the first time she ever paid any taxes
johnjamison
Posted on April 18, 2012 at 8:21amDoes she have kids if she does they shouldn’t jail her they could fine her for 50,000 and convict her on felony fraud.
Report Post »valleyfever
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 5:44pmDon’t set up another govt agency. Just throw the book at this idiot and it won’t happen again.
Report Post »kindsoul
Posted on April 18, 2012 at 8:02amHow is someone who can’t afford food playing the lottery.
Report Post »skippy6
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 5:40pmNow she will have to pay her fair share, or at least half of the million…..
Report Post »Sirfoldallot
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 5:52pmFunny ,, she was the 99% before she wanted so bad 2 be the 1%, another greedy nut job.
Report Post »makeemstop
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 5:30pmShe should go to jail just for being stupid… and loose her right to keep the money.
Report Post »AvengerK
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 5:36pmI’d say I feel sorry for her…but that would be a lie.
Report Post »Turin
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 5:42pmYeah, send her to jail!!! Blah, Blah, Blah, but Bernanke and his printing buddies and their banking cohorts…. nada. Her crime is that she’s only pilfering $200/month. If she could’ve upped the ante by adding say 9 or 10 zeroes to the end of that $200, then she’d have been golden.
Report Post »BelindaB
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 5:20pmShe should be doing MORE than four years!! She KNEW it was wrong. For her to buy TWO houses and STILL expect the taxpayer to feed her is PATHETIC !!
Report Post »MAMMY_NUNN
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 7:07pmIf she in prison she will be eating off the taxpayers dime lets hope for the jail billing her for room and board, Meals and utilities.
Report Post »omgfolks
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 5:17pmCome on now , where is the sense in this? All this shows is that the goverment is GREEDY, have her pay back what she got, and maybe a fine and let this go. They are vindictive in nature trying to put this girl in jail when they themselves waste tax payer money dailey. Some Presecutor is trying to get their name in the history books grandstanding over this issue. Yeah she did wrong, SO “F-ing” what. There is no need to try and manipulate the money she won away from her, and that is all this is. LEGAL EXTORTION.
Report Post »korbin
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 5:27pmYou must be one of them….
Report Post »beekeeper
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 8:24pmShe is 100% entitled to every dollar she won in the lottery, minus taxes owed (of course).
She is not entitled to the food stamps she continued to collect after she won her million dollars and failed to report her significant income.
She should pay back every penny in food stamp assistance she collected since winning the lottery. and she should be prosecuted for her crime, pay a suitable fine (treble damages is common in many cases, why not here?) but I see no need for jail time (myself) – community service and probation are called for here.
She committed a crime, and she shouldn’t be let off the hook because she won the lottery, but she shouldn‘t spend four years in jail because she didn’t cancel her food stamps after winning the lottery.
Report Post »lukerw
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 8:53pmSince we have No King to render Divine Wisdom… this Nation is based upon LAW… and she violated it! Or… maybe, you are thinking of some other Nation?
Report Post »beekeeper
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 9:01pmObama-nation? ;^)
Report Post »omgfolks
Posted on April 18, 2012 at 9:32amKORBIN! If you mean by ‘One of them” a person who thinks this issue is being blown out of proportion and that threatening jail time is a waste of taxpayer money they you right I am one of them. She may very well be that stupid, who knows? She may be one to those who thinks the goverment would know of changes in here financial structure and done their jog by removing her from the system. But either way, if she pays back from the time she won making and pays a small fine for stupidity, then justice is served. If the Grandstanding Prosecutor thinks spending tax payer dollars and putting her in jail at tax payers expense is justice then lets look at their spending habits and see what their records will show. The goverment waste more money and take advantage dailey, knowingly, this girl really could be that deft. Either way I am guessing she didnt get much more than a few hundred bucks, so let her pay it back and be done with it. She can always use the Political Catch Phrase, ” I am sorry, I used Poor Judgement, I didn’t know” as an excuse.
Report Post »cookcountypatriot
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 5:16pmgimme gimme gimme….now we,ll be paying her tab in jail
Report Post »JohnQTaxpayer
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 5:07pmbet she tries to collect welfare in prison
Report Post »lukerw
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 4:53pmShe is a “princess” and rather typical of the people that live in that area. A nice High Tower would be a perfect home for her!
Report Post »RED-DAWN
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 4:51pmI have an idea, go back and check the records to see all she has ever received from the government in the form of “ASSistance” payments and take the entire amount back out of her winnings. Odd to me, she can’s buy food but she purchased a lottery ticket????
AMAZING
Report Post »korbin
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 4:48pmThe Blaze just removed my post after they allowed it. Not one cuss word just the facts about welfare and fraud. Im not sure I trust the Blaze anymore, removing a perfectly good post? wow/
Report Post »marine249
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 4:47pmI want more of that free obama money.
Report Post »marhee9
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 4:52pmExactly, just like the lady who thought Obama was going to pay her mortgage and her gas. The infamous “Obama stash.” This is the society we are creating with all the class warfare garbage. The government “owes” these people. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xW8uKxXitAc
Report Post »CatB
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 4:56pmHey it is MICHIGAN….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOZ-Etb0k0Q
nearly every other commercial in Michigan is about how to get a “free” phone from the government ..
Report Post »MrSunshine
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 4:44pmMine, mine, mine, mine, mine, mine, mine, mine, mine, mine, mine, mine…..
Report Post »korbin
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 4:43pmWow I am so impressed the one person out of 99% of all welfare recipients most are frauds gets caught only after winning the lottery and making dumb ass statements on national tv. Boy our Government really has our backs. look no further folks us tax payers have the Gubment looking out for us. I can spot a fraud at any one of my local stores they are buying $4.oo monster energy drinks, subway sandwiches steaks, lobster and of course cigarettes. They sure smart those Gubment officials.
Report Post »korbin
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 4:45pmAll purchased with the EBT card. Don’t call it what it is we might embarrass them. Its welfare paid for by us tax payers not a electronic benefits card give me a break…….
Report Post »BrerRabbit
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 4:42pmHope she serves time in the BIG house!
Report Post »CatB
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 5:06pmHope they bill her for it.
Report Post »FoundingTrek
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 4:41pm“Republican lawmakers are now taking steps to pass a bill that makes it illegal for lottery winners to collect food stamps.”
Report Post »CAVALLO has it right. What she did is already illegal (she has been charged with a crime, after all). Why do we need a new law on it?
Gourdy
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 4:46pmAgreed. I think it’s the work of a lawmaker looking for some media exposure.
Report Post »HKS
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 4:39pmAnother fine product of our fine government educational system, a true socialist. Fine job school systems
Report Post »tzion
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 4:37pmShe buys two houses and a car and she still needs food stamps? If I ever couldn‘t afford food I’d start off at local charities before I even considered going on food stamps.
Report Post »Mark0331
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 4:37pmGreedy trash…but she will get probation for 3-5 years…no prison. No accountability in this nation anymore…sad.
Report Post »gooeylewie
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 4:35pmtypical liberal… so sad.
Report Post »Cavallo
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 4:33pmScrewed up government requires more government?
Report Post »lothlorien
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 4:32pm“”At the time the story broke, Clayton explained: “I thought that they would cut me off, but since they didn’t, I thought maybe it was okay because I’m not working.” ”
“”When asked if she thought it was “right” to accept taxpayer money — even if she was under the impression it was legal– she said “kind of…I mean, I have no income and I have bills to pay.””
And they breed and VOTE….
Report Post »Jeopao
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 4:29pm2,999,999 more to go
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