Lansing woman accused of bilking state

BY BETH AUERSWALD

Medill News Service

CHICAGO -- A Lansing woman bought a $200,000 home while receiving more than $100,000 in welfare benefits over a four-year period, Cook County State's Attorney Richard A. Devine said Wednesday.

Carolynn Amill, 40, of 18173 Brittany Lane, is one of 13 Chicago-area women indicted for allegedly bilking the state out of more than $500,000 in benefits.

"The welfare system exists to help those in need," Devine said during a press conference. "The money was taken from both taxpayers and legitimate recipients."

The women are accused of illegally collecting $547,000 in grant payments, food stamps and medical payments from the Illinois Department of Human Services between 1986 and 1997.

Devine termed Amill's case "particularly disturbing." He said Amill bought the residence while receiving more than $100,000 in welfare benefits from 1992 to 1996. Amill is accused of receiving benefits to provide child care in the Lansing home she bought in 1995, but authorities say she did not provide care to all the children she claimed to.

"There are many taxpayers who could not afford this home, but who helped buy it anyway," Devine said.

A majority of the women started receiving aid legitimately but later either became employed or someone holding a job moved into their home, Devine said. According to officials, the women violated the law by continuing to collect benefits without notifying state officials of their new income.

"(The women) did the first part -- they got the job," said Illinois Department of Public Aid Inspector General Robb Miller. "They didn't do the second part -- tell us about it."

While most of the women failed to notify state officials of their added income, there were other fraud schemes. Cynthia Tucker, 36, of 7722 S. Marquette Ave. in Chicago, is accused of using two separate identities to collect extra benefits, and Jayner Bryant, 39, of 11630 S. Normal Ave. in Chicago, claimed two children who lived in Michigan as dependents, Devine said.

An electronic fingerprinting program has been started in Cook and DuPage counties to eliminate the use of multiple identities, Miller said. The fingerprinting also will enable authorities to identity people who are collecting benefits while in jail.

According to Miller, the public aid department will probably recover 20 percent of the $500,000 in lost benefits. He said 1,000 cases were investigated statewide last year, resulting in more than $6 million in benefit overpayments.

Even if convicted, the women could still receive welfare benefits if they qualify but they will be watched more closely, Miller said.

"There are many legitimate children in these cases," he said. "We would never deny benefits to a child, no matter what the parents have done."

Also named in the indictments were seven Chicago women: Maria Rejon, 39, of 5940 N. Kenmore Ave.; Brenda Thorne, 41, of 1111 W. 112th St.; Nikita Kennedy, 31, of 11745 S. Peoria St.; Barbara Ingram, 40, of 12316 S. Green St.; Agapita Coronado, 53, of 8132 S. Brandon Ave.; Wileddis Perry, 44, of 12018 S. Indiana Ave.; and Deborah Crosby, 35, of 3517 S. Federal St.

Also indicted were Geraldine Hood, 42, of 1021 Sierra Court in University Park; Lynette Hernandez, 29, of 1967 18th Ave. in Melrose Park; and Lisa Perkins, 31, of 14022 S. Atlantic Ave. in Riverdale.