Tag: welfare

Jamaican National in North Carolina Indicted for Brazen Sham Marriage Immigration Fraud — Used Fake Union to Fast-Track U.S. Citizenship Then Scam VA Disability Benefits by Claiming Phantom Husband as Dependent

A 26-year-old Jamaican national living in Charlotte has been federally indicted for a calculated, multi-year scheme involving sham marriage immigration fraud, lying under oath to obtain U.S. citizenship, and then using that fraudulently acquired status to improperly claim VA disability benefits by listing her never-cohabitating “husband” as a dependent.

Britney Sherene Curry entered the United States on a six-month B-2 tourist visa on August 27, 2015 and promptly overstayed it by more than a decade. Rather than face deportation, she allegedly paid a third party to arrange a fraudulent marriage to a U.S. citizen.

According to the Department of Justice, Curry and her “husband” met for the first time on their wedding day and never lived together before or after the marriage.

After the sham marriage, Curry became a lawful permanent resident. That status allowed her to enlist in the U.S. Army, which in turn let her apply for naturalization almost immediately, bypassing the normal three-year waiting period for spouses of citizens.

She allegedly lied under penalty of perjury on immigration documents about the legitimacy of her marriage. Once naturalized, she even petitioned for her mother to receive lawful permanent resident status.

Less than two years after enlisting, Curry received a medical discharge from the Army. She then filed for VA disability compensation and listed her sham husband as a dependent to boost her monthly benefits, despite never having lived with him and not having seen him since before she joined the military.

According to the DOJ, “Under federal statutes, Curry is subject to a sentence of up to 20 years in prison on the wire fraud and mail fraud charges, up to 10 years in prison on some of the immigration charges, and faces the possibility of being denaturalized. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.”

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California Gets 80% Of All Federal Cash For Illegal Immigrant Families: Report

California is home to the lion’s share of illegal immigrant families in the United States with children who received federal welfare assistance in 2024, according to a federal report published on June 10.

More than 80 percent of all nationwide cash assistance allocated to such households was spent in California. The report tracked $759 million in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) spent in 2024 on families headed by a parent living in the country illegally.

In those cases, the child qualified for federal welfare, even though the parent was excluded from the federal program because of immigration status.

“These cases receive relatively little public attention, yet … data show that they are far from a negligible part of the program,” wrote authors David Swegle, director of the Office of Family Assistance at the Administration for Children and Families under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and Alex J. Adams, assistant secretary at the Administration for Children and Families, in the report.

Nationally, the federal government paid 85,000 households with qualifying children receiving assistance who were living with their illegal immigrant parents in the U.S. in 2024.

“Although the benefit is formally paid on behalf of the child, it still supports a household that includes an immigration-status-ineligible parent,” the authors stated. “The significance of these cases therefore cannot be judged solely by the fact that the adult is not the formal recipient.”

The cases are also significant because they don’t have to adhere to the TANF rules requiring work expectations, such as regularly applying for jobs, and the payments aren’t limited to the federal 60-month lifetime limit, according to the report. The illegal immigrant families, therefore, can receive federal welfare until the child turns 18 years old.

Low-income American families are held to the federal welfare restrictions that require work participation and are restricted to a 60-month lifetime limit, the authors said.

The number of TANF cases involving an illegal immigrant parent reached nearly 850,000—or 10 percent of all cases—in 2024, up from nearly 6 percent in 2001.

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SNAP Benefits Go To 186,000 Dead People… And Stopping Them Might Be Difficult

President Donald Trump’s anti-fraud efforts have brought renewed focus on issues plaguing the welfare system, including the millions of dollars in food stamps that are being sent to dead recipients.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released a report last month stating that 185,986 deceased people in 29 states were receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits as of July 1, 2025, at an annual cost of $419.6 million. It also reported an additional $3 billion in potential fraud, waste, and abuse.

On May 21, a federal jury convicted a man who stole the identity of Carlos Ramon Obregon, who was killed in a 1977 Los Angeles drive-by shooting. Decades after the 14-year-old’s death, the defendant used the dead teen’s identity to collect about $283,000 in government benefits, including SNAP benefits, Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income, and COVID-19 payments.

That’s just one example that the administration has outlined to highlight the issue. Here’s what to know about the problem of dead recipients, which has been lingering for decades.

Renewed Focus by Trump Admin

Trump directed federal agencies via executive order in March 2025 to ensure “unfettered access” to data from federally funded state programs such as SNAP, also known as food stamps.

In response, the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service told state agencies on May 6, 2025, that all records associated with SNAP must be made available to the federal government.

“For years, this program has been on autopilot, with no USDA insight into real-time data,” Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins wrote in a letter to states.

Following the USDA’s demand for detailed information on food stamp recipients to review for fraud, a coalition of 21 states and the District of Columbia filed a federal lawsuit against the USDA, accusing the agency of unlawfully demanding massive amounts of sensitive SNAP recipient data.

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Biden-Appointed Judge Blocks Trump Admin from Conditioning Billions in SNAP on Stopping Gender Ideology, Benefits for Illegal Aliens, and Attacks on Girls’ Sports – 20 Democrat States Celebrate Win for Woke Agendas

In yet another blatant example of judicial activism and lawfare against the will of the American people, U.S. District Judge Myong Joun – a Biden appointee with a well-documented history of blocking President Trump’s agenda – sided with 20 Democrat states and the District of Columbia on Friday, granting a preliminary injunction that halted the Trump administration’s efforts to tie federal food assistance funding to basic common-sense conditions.

The ruling stops the U.S. Department of Agriculture from enforcing requirements on states receiving tens of billions in SNAP (food stamps), school lunch, WIC, and other nutrition program dollars.

Among the blocked conditions: restrictions on promoting “gender ideology,” preventing illegal aliens from accessing taxpayer-funded benefits, and ensuring “fair athletic opportunities” for women and girls.

This is the same Judge Myong Joun who previously blocked Trump administration efforts to reform and downsize the Department of Education, as The Gateway Pundit has reported.

The Trump administration, under Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, has been working to clean up these massive federal programs.

As The Gateway Pundit previously detailed, the USDA put ALL programs under review to ensure only American citizens receive food stamps and other benefits. New requirements from Republican-backed legislation had already reduced SNAP rolls by nearly 4.3 million beneficiaries between January 2025 and January 2026 through basic eligibility enforcement.

The new conditions were straightforward America First policy:

  • States had to certify they were not using federal funds to promote gender ideology, including programs that would deprive women and girls of fair athletic opportunities (i.e., keeping biological males out of girls’ sports).
  • States could not allow illegal aliens to obtain taxpayer-funded benefits or create incentives for illegal immigration.
  • Broader compliance with federal anti-discrimination laws and Trump executive orders on these issues.

In short, the administration was simply saying: if you want billions in federal food aid, you don’t get to use it to push radical transgender ideology or subsidize illegal immigration on the taxpayers’ dime.

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Brooke Rollins Details How Trump Admin Is Cracking Down on Food Stamp Fraud

Agriculture Department Secretary Brooke Rollins on Thursday during a hearing explained how the Trump administration is working to combat food stamp fraud.

Rollins wrote, “@USDA has NEVER had access to State SNAP data. Not until this Administration demanded it. That’s why every figure from years past is meaningless. From the 29 states that DID share data, we’ve already identified at least $3 billion a year in fraud. Extrapolated nationwide: more than $10 billion. This isn’t ‘erroneous payments.’ This is FRAUD — and yes, @RepAngieCraig, I know the difference. Do you?”

Rollins shared a clip of her exchange with Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Angie Craig (D-MN) in which the secretary explains that much of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or food stamp, data they receive from states such as California and Minnesota cannot be trusted.

“The lowest fraud rate of any program in America is the SNAP program. You can’t be serious when you say that,” Rollins said.

She then said, “@RepShontelBrown just said the quiet part out loud: Democrats want as many people on welfare as possible. It’s remarkable.”

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Kash Patel Unveils FBI’s “Most Wanted Fraudsters” List as Officials Announce New Medicaid Fraud Indictments

FBI Director Kash Patel announced on Wednesday that the FBI is launching a “Most Wanted Fraudsters” list as the Department of Justice investigates criminal fraud rings across the country.

Patel credited Vice President JD Vance, the chairman of the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, for the idea. “Mr. Vice President, thanks to your vision, we’re here to deliver, and you see it here today,” he said.

“I want all Americans to take a look at these most wanted individuals and look at the amounts, the 10s of millions and billions of dollars in fraud that they have decimated our societies from,” Patel continued, urging Americans to provide tips on the fraudsters’ whereabouts.

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Dr. Oz Says CMS Has Identified at Least $2 BILLION in Healthcare Benefits That Were Stolen by Illegals – DOUBLE What Was Found Last Year

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz revealed on Tuesday that his agency has identified now $2 billion in fraudulent healthcare payments that have been given to illegal aliens.

“The number has doubled from what I said last year. We’re about $2 billion,” he told The Gateway Pundit during a White House press briefing, adding that some states are cracking down on the fraud.

“The good news is that many states realize this is a problem, and they themselves have stopped doing this.”

“Some states don’t do as good a job as other states. That’s why we’re looking to individual states for leadership, for better ideas, to deal with many of these social problems that unfortunately begin to pile up over time. And they threaten the very foundation of our social net that supports all of us,” he added.

Oz further touted Vice President JD Vance’s work in exposing the fraud for criminal referral with his White House anti-fraud task force. While speaking at an anti-fraud roundtable with state attorneys general and White House officials last month, Vance revealed staggering numbers his team had discovered, including over $22 billion in fraudulent small business loans, more than $1.3 billion in fraudulent Medicaid reimbursements, $6.3 billion in suspected fraudulent government contracts, and $60 million in student aid fraud.

“He’s taking this seriously. He’s going at it and he’s doing what’s best for the American people by making some tough decisions,” Oz said of Vance.

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Mamdani’s “COGE” commission to prepare deeper cuts to New York City social programs and regulations

On Thursday, Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced the formation of a Committee on Government Efficiency (COGE) to examine the New York City Charter for efficiencies: that is, to search for ways in which social programs can be cut.

“The Commission on Government Efficiency will take a hard look at how City government functions and identify the reforms we need to deliver faster, smarter and more effectively for working people,” Mamdani told the media.

The Charter is essentially New York City’s constitution. It defines what authority belongs to the mayor and other officials and what to the City Council; laws, timelines and mandatory minimum rules for city reserve funds; the multi-step public review process required to build housing, change zoning laws or approve major infrastructure; and the scope, duties and enforcement powers of every city department.

The Charter does not control funding but does dictate the operational rules that heavily control, protect or limit social spending. For example, the Charter legally mandates the existence of agencies like the Department of Social Services and the Human Resources Administration, which a mayor cannot simply abolish to save money. The Charter also sets the exact legal procedures for how the city buys goods and hires outside nonprofits to run homeless shelters, daycare centers and after-school programs.

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All The British Government Does Is Ask ‘Who Can We Tax to Give Benefits to Others’, Mandelson-Epstein Scandal Papers Reveal

A document dump released by the British government because of the Peter Mandelson-Jeffrey Epstein scandal has revealed extensive private conversations among top Labour figures, including one that reveals tunnel-vision obsession with tax raids to pay for endless welfare giveaways.

Internal messages from inside the British Labour government have once again revealed the remarkable perspicacity with which select top figures are able to assess and recognise their own shortcomings and articulate among themselves — when they believe they are speaking in private confidence — precisely what their critics observe in public. Among over 1,500 pages of government text messages and emails released as part of the long tail fallout from the Jeffrey Epstein emails released in the United States, which brought down the British ambassador Peter Mandelson, is a remarkable smoking gun of an exchange where a top Labour figure admits the only real driving force of the government is endless tax extraction to prop up the welfare state.

In a conversation between Peter Mandelson, during his time as ambassador, and Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Pat McFadden, days after a punishing election defeat in May 2025, the pair discuss internal debates within the governing Labour Party. Reflecting on the mood, McFadden messaged Mandelson to say he had observed a “lot of manoeuvring here this week… Doesn’t feel good for Keir”.

Responding, Peter Mandelson, while he apparently enjoyed significant influence from Washington over the workings of the British government back home, led with criticism of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, and said: “Keir is not leading from the front… does he even realise? The [Parliamentary Labour Party, I] gather is in mutinous state”. McFadden replied in turn: “Yes. Every meeting I have is ‘who can we tax in order to pay benefits to others’. They’re asking the wrong questions”.

This revelation of the state of the most senior Labour ministers by a consummate insider is politically radioactive for Labour, given it confirms some of the very most damaging accusations made about it by its political rivals; that its rapacious appetite for tax revenue to fund the welfare state is in part a result of open borders and government failures, while at the same time destroying the economy.

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The Myth of Socialism: USA Standard of Living Higher Than Europe; Wages, Taxes, Crime, and Services

Many people believe Europe has a higher standard of living than the United States. This belief is typically based on several commonly cited arguments, including crime, social welfare systems, healthcare, and transportation infrastructure.

Comparisons between Europe and the United States often focus heavily on government-provided benefits while paying less attention to differences in income, taxation, purchasing power, housing affordability, employment opportunities, and consumer choice. Europe is also frequently discussed as a single entity despite significant differences between countries.

Europe consists of between 44 and 50 countries, depending on the definition used. The most common geographic definition counts 44 sovereign states, while broader definitions that include microstates and transcontinental countries such as Russia and Turkey, as well as countries like Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia, place the total closer to 50.

As an example of how economically diverse Europe is, the richest country, Luxembourg, has a GDP per capita, or average income, of about $140,000 to $160,000 per year, while the poorest country, Moldova, has a GDP per capita of about $8,000 to $10,000.

Supporters of the European model point to universal healthcare, social welfare programs, public transportation, and lower crime rates as evidence of a superior standard of living. These comparisons often overlook higher wages in the United States, lower taxes, larger homes, higher rates of vehicle ownership, and the tradeoffs and advantages associated with different approaches to healthcare and transportation.

Crime is another frequent point of comparison. Many Europeans falsely believe school shootings are a major cause of death in the United States. At the same time, they ignore the fact that parts of Europe are extremely unsafe and that much of Europe has higher levels of theft, pickpocketing, muggings, home invasions, and other categories of crime. Furthermore, European cities that have allowed waves of migrants and asylum seekers from North Africa and Africa have seen sexual crimes and rape increase dramatically.

Healthcare is also central to the debate. Europe is often praised for universal coverage, but wait times in many countries are extremely long, and patients frequently require prior authorization before accessing specialists or advanced treatments. Quality also varies dramatically between countries. At the same time, the majority of Americans are covered through employer-sponsored plans, government programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, or private insurance.

Social welfare systems and transportation infrastructure are also commonly cited as European advantages. Supporters highlight government benefits and extensive public transportation networks.

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