As I sit down to write this blog, Hurricane Florence is bearing down on North Carolina. I once had an Aunt named Florence, and I 
liked her. I hope I still like her when Florence gets done with my state. Right now, the hurricane is a “Category 2,” a lot better than the initial “Category 5” projection and so we are hoping for the best. And yet, there is no doubt that when the storm passes vulnerable people will be the target of those who would perpetrate a fraud. Sad…but true.
As I frequently do, and believe that most of us do, is to think of the people most affected by the severe weather; the poor, shut-in’s, the elderly, children and the vulnerable. As my world is so wrapped up in ethical considerations, I think of those who take advantage of disasters and take advantage of the vulnerable. We normally think of these “advantage takers” as siding salesmen or tree trimmers, but suppose they are the people who are supposed to be helping us the most.
DCF and internal fraud
DCF is Florida’s Department for Children and Families. It employs roughly 12,000 people. As the name of the agency implies, it is out to do good and not harm by giving the vulnerable the aid they need. However, despite the best of intentions some of DCF’s employees in and around the tragedy of Hurricane Irma decided to scam the agency for all it could. Hurricane Irma was tragic. From August 30, 2017 to September 13, 2017, in addition to tragic loss of life and injuries, it inflicted more than $65 billion in damages.
As Irma hit, officials at DCF, believing something was amiss started an internal investigation and they were able to stem a case involving $14 million in disaster aid fraud. They had satisfied themselves that everything was fine However, in the spring of 2018, DCF investigators uncovered food stamp fraud committed by cheaters on its own payroll!
The DCF began to run an audit on its Office of Public Benefits Integrity in May 2018. It revealed that 31 DCF workers cheated on applications to collect aid. At this time, all 31 state workers have been terminated or soon will soon be fired. The offenders will be turned over to law enforcement for prosecution.
After the Hurricane did its massive damage, the agency was inundated with 1.2 million applications for disaster relief.
Preferential Treatment?
Before the onslaught of applications, DCF allowed about 1,300 workers to file ahead of everyone else. Though it was perceived as being preferential, DCF maintains they allowed early filing so the workers could get to work on the “civilian” applications. The 31 DCF workers allegedly added their bogus applications in with the rest.
DCF, wanting to ensure that its agency was above board, made sure that all of the applications submitted by its personnel were carefully reviewed. Apparently, the department fraudsters did not plan on such close scrutiny. As of this time, no numbers have been given for the amount of money stolen from the state but they will naturally be required to pay it back in addition to criminal prosecution.
I am sure the 31 workers rationalized their filing of the false applications due to the perception that the government has unlimited wealth and no one would miss the theft of funds. Ironically, they should have realized, more than anyone else, that it was precisely those they were serving who needed the money the most; if not for that hurricane, then for a future disaster.
The fact that the DCF workers stole from their clients is more than a criminal breakdown, but an ethical breakdown as well. Unless ongoing ethical training is in place, what is to stop this type of fraud continuing on into the future? Who knows, quite frankly, how much they might have stolen in the past?
Now, as the winds bear down on North Carolina, I hope that workers in my state maintain their high ethical standards. However, fraud always requires need and opportunity. As Florence strikes our coast, might there be workers who will seize an unethical opportunity to steal from the poor because of a need for more money? I cannot say. However, unless ethical expectations are in place, the unethical will not hesitate to take advantage of the situation.
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