A Trout Creek woman who allegedly stole $52,623 from the Delaware
County Department of Social Services Child Support Unit was fired from
her position in January, DSS Commissioner William Moon said Friday.

The story doesn't end with this Trout Creek woman stealing the money. Who is going to pay back the children and the taxpayers? Inadequate supervision is what we have been saying all the long. Again, what is Congress doing to tie up the State's lack of professionalism in operating programs where they claim to be helping needy families, while stealing the money out from underneath them. This particular investigation took over 4 years to detect the outright theft.

State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli released an audit Friday
indicating that the Delaware County Child Support Collection Unit lost
$52,623 from 2003 to 2007.

The audit, requested by Northrup, also found that there was
inadequate supervision of personnel responsible for collecting and
depositing child support funds.

Taxpayers are currently footing the bill, largely for their
government to collect and process child support payments for middle and
upper class families. Actual needy families appear to be the minority
of collections through the Federal Title IV-D program.

Again, we need Congress to install more accountability into the Title IV-D program or add eligibility requirements to shrink down the size of these programs so that State Directors can better control their own employees. Don't be fooled by the best interest joke, that involves high paid government officials lining their own pockets at the expense of family and parent/child relationships.

You might remember the article that I wrote titled "When Stealing From Children Isn't Enough" and if you don't you should probably take the time to read it. Because now we are back to the same issue again, and as you can tell its not the first and certainly won't be the last. Child support programs lack accountability nationwide.

Another occurrence of government officials stealing both from the taxpayers nationwide and children was documented by the LufkinDailyNews.Com website on April 3, 2008. In fact District Clerk Donna Phillips has all but been convicted of "allegedly" taking $15,758.16 from child support accounts.

NACOGDOCHES — Nacogdoches
District Clerk Donna Phillips has been arrested and charged with theft
by a public servant, a third-degree felony. She was arraigned Thursday
morning by Precinct 2 Justice of the Peace Dorothy Tigner-Thompson, who
set her bond at $8,500. She was immediately released after bonding out
of jail.

She also resigned Thursday, sending a letter to County Judge Joe English, in which she apologized for her "wrongdoings."

According to the arrest affidavit filed in Thompson's court,
Phillips is accused of taking $15,758.16 during 2007 from the child
support account she oversees.

Not too mention, on April 1, 2008 it wasn't a laughing matter for Cynthia Woodard who had to plead guilty to multiple charges resulting from her and her fiance' stealing $10,660.00 or more dollars from taxpayers and children. The Statesman Journal in Salem, Oregon reports:

A former Oregon Department of Justice
employee accused of stealing unclaimed child-support payments from the
state pleaded guilty to all charges in Marion County court Monday.

Keizer
resident Cynthia Diane Woodard, 50, pleaded guilty to two counts of
first-degree theft, two counts of identity theft and one count of
misdemeanor official misconduct.

Woodard received a 120-day jail sentence and five years of probation from Circuit Judge Jamese Rhoades.

Between
April and June of last year, Woodard and her then-fiancé, Glenn Edward
Huiett, stole about $10,660 in child-support payments intended for two
recipients, a Eugene woman and a Salem woman, Marion County Deputy
District Attorney Don Abar said.

Phillips isn't the first of the clerks to be caught or suspected of embezzling money from children and taxpayers. In fact, just last year I reported in Child Support Clerk Charged With Embezzlement: More Government Corruption

Another County employee, this one in Lauderdale County, has been
indicted by a grand jury on felony embezzlement charges for allegedly
stealing more than $216,000.00 of program money, paid for by taxpayers,
by writing unauthorized checks to herself from January 2002 through
April of 2007. This employee was released on a $10,000.00 bond, which
no doubt was probably a drop in the bucket considering she has already
been sitting on the $216,000.00 plus her lush salary.

Another critical story which cost taxpayers and children that was reported on this blog is Title IV-D Employee Embezzles Quarter of Million in Child Support Enforcement Money:

That's right folks. A California Department of Child Support Services
employee bilked the State Department of Child Support Services of more
than $250,000.00!!! This is just another example of how the current
Title IV-D program is abused by the various States that are voluntarily
participating in the program. The state police have indicated that
there are more than $300,000.00 worth of goods that the employee has in
her possession that were purchased with at least one government credit
card.

We also have bribery and extortion schemes going on which is lining greedy child support enforcement workers' pockets as well, demonstrating further that the child support program just continues to grow and lacks any real accountability as can be seen in the article Child Support Worker Arrested in Bribery Scheme:

According to Local6.Com another Child Support Worker was arrested, this
time in Florida for bribing individuals that were involved with child
support cases.

In the many States, Child Support Workers are funded directly through Title IV
Part D of the Social Security Act if the State programs voluntarily
comply with federal mandates on how to operate. In the beginning a
program to help needy families, it has now turned into a free for all
welfare spending program where the States focus on revenue generation
instead of helping actual needy families. For every dollar spent by the local agency, two more dollars come into the state as a result of the expenditure. This leads to very poor management of the progam and a significant forced over-participation which is costing taxpayers nationwide.

It's time to reign in free for all welfare spending where over 45% of
the participants in the Title IV-D welfare program are middle to
upper-class families that should be paying for their own disputes not
feuding on tax payer money. Shrink back the program for its intended
beneficiaries and shave off nearly 30,000 government employees
nationwide to help control taxpayer waste, fraud, and government
sponsored criminal activity.

For more information about the Title IV-D Program and It's Lack of Accountability:

Overview of Title IV-D Services: Click Here

How Federal Funding Drives Judicial Discretion... Click Here

Requesting Change: It's a Matter of Administration and Legislation: Click Here

The Weekly Standard Indicts CSE Title IV-D Welfare Program: Click Here

Will Democrats Actually Reduce Our Deficit? Click Here

Following the Title IV-D Money Machine. Click Here.

Taxpayers again should be asking for the resignation of more government employees in an effort to save the State of Montana and Federal Taxpayers millions. Why? Because of the simple fact that around a dozen blogs and media outlet services that I reviewed over the past few days are discussing the fact that Montana DHS employees within the Child Support Enforcement Office are complaining that their brand new computers didn't have the same games on them as other departments. First the government creates entitlement programs that people should not receive in the first place, like the child support enforcement program that has severe overparticipation in it, but then the government employees themselves would rather sit around and play games and bilk the federal, state, and local taxpayers out of millions believing they too are entitled to something for free from the taxpayers. Even if these 3000 employees played one of the games for just one hour per week that is 3000 HOURS times their hourly wage that is lost on the taxpayer dime each week!

For those of you not aware, for every dollar that the State of Montana puts out in guise of "Child Support Enforcement and Paternity Establishment" they receive two more federal dollars. Naturally that means the state of Montana likely has 66% more money than it knows what to do with and likely has 66% too many employees if they think they can sit around and play solitaire and minesweep all day long. Their actions also may violate federal law and should be investigated for misappropriation of Title IV-D monies under both the Grants and Incentive payment programs. (Title IV-D of the Social Security Act)

Just a Sample of the Titles of Articles Talking About Montana's Oversized Government Bureaucracy:

Games on state computers stirs flap
By CHARLES S. JOHNSON of the Missoulian State Bureau

Montana's Government Employees Complain Over Lack of Games

Computer policies — Game over State official's decision on computer games should serve as an example for all The Capital-Journal Editorial Board

Montana Public Health Department Loses Games

Andy Chalk posted on 31 Mar 2008 1:31 pm

No time for solitaire in Montana By
Times Wires Published Monday, March 31, 2008 10:10 PM

_1. http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cse/pubs/2007/preliminary_report/table_7.html

I have been following a fair number of reports where individuals are being caught embezzling from the tax payers, committing fraudulent transfers, and identity theft through the various State Child Support Programs. The programs have grown so quickly that there is insufficient oversight to ensure that the programs help those who have need. Instead the programs are bloated with over-participation and lack of oversight.

The Keizertimes is a publication for the Keizer community, and focuses on Keizer-specific news and events. Recently it reported Former DOJ employee charged with ID theft. It wasn't just identity theft though, it was actual theft from the tax payers and children as well. There has been a tremendous amount of liability associated with identity theft from the State operated and Federally funded child support enforcement programs.

Original Story Published 2-29-08: http://www.keizertimes.com/news/story.cfm?story_no=9130

A theft investigation spanning nearly six months culminated in the arrest of two Keizer residents on Friday, Feb. 22.

The lack of oversight involved in the State Child Support Programs are definitely causing more harm than good when it comes to the potential for identity theft, fraud, and embezzlement.

The state sends out child support payments on a ReliaCard debit system. The investigation began when a woman receiving child support payments said more than $7,000 in child support payments were missing from her account. The victim's card had been mailed to a vacant address in Keizer and had been used to withdraw funds from Salem and Keizer-area automated teller machines.

Don't forget the article Identity Theft: Opt Out Of Family Court Services!

More fraud and embezzlement below!

Fort Bend Woman Guilty in Child Support Fraud Ring

If it isn't the actual child support enforcement officers stealing from the taxpayers, then its more greedy participants aiming to defraud taxpayers, parents, and children of green. The Title IV-D program is
plagued with over participation, fraud, and misrepresentation to the public that money is destined for children, but in reality the money goes into everyone else's pockets but the children's. The Katy Times, serving Katy, Tx and the surrounding suburban communities released the story on June 1, 2007 about a Fort Bend, Indiana Woman being found guilty in another Child Support Fraud Scheme. (Katy Times,
"Fort Bend Woman Guilty in Child Support Fraud Ring," June 1, 2007)

• Child Support Worker Arrested In Bribery Scheme http://www.laryholland.com/serendipity/archives/329-Child-Support-Worker-Arrested-in-Bribery-Scheme.html
• Title IV-D Employee Embezzles Quarter of Million in Child Support Money http://www.laryholland.com/serendipity/archives/311-Title-IV-D-Employee-Embezzles-Quarter-of-Million-in-Child-Support-Enforcement-Money.html

State worker accused of taking child support money

The SeattlePI.Com website on November 16, 2007 reported yet another state worker taking child support money from children and families.

OLYMPIA, Wash. -- A state employee in Olympia who handled child support payments has been accused of taking $24,000 and spending the money at casinos.

As more audits begin to be conducted on the many unaccountable child support agencies across the nation, there is a high probability that more and more fraud will likely be exposed just like the above story. The child support programs across the nation are currently charged with handling billions of dollars on behalf of parents and families with very little accountable oversight. 

If a government agency cannot even protect your data...why would you think they could protect or decide in matters that are best for your children. Children need both parents to look over their children, not incompetent government bodies that benefit from tearing apart homes.

• FOIA REQUEST to State of Michigan Department of Human Services: HERE

• UPDATE ON FOIA REQUEST: HERE

• ACTUAL FOIA REQUEST: HERE

The above requests are directed to the Michigan Department of Human Services the Financial Data Match program required for the states to receive voluntary grant and incentive monies from the federal government.

Here are some great examples of what can happen with citizens' information that is in the hands of incompetent state agencies:

• Child Support Paperwork Glitch Exposes Private Information of over 10,000 Citizens: HERE
• Mounting Accountability Problems With Child Support Programs: HERE
• Identity Theft:: Opt Out of Family Court Services Before it Happens to YOU!: HERE
• Privatization, Identity Theft, and Crony Capitalism" http://www.unbossed.com/index.php?itemid=1186
• Hacker Breaks Into Nebraska Child-Support Database" FoxNews.Com, June 29, 2006
• Vermont Computer Hacked: 70,000 users at risk" Lock Down Your Identity January 30, 2007
• California Faxes 1170 Citizen's Private Information to Wrong Place: Press Release: California DCSS January 30, 2007

One blatantly apparent problem with Michigan's Financial Data Match program is that banks could potentially share citizen's information without their knowledge and without them having any open family court cases. This give the opportunity to the requesting agency to sift through the information of anyone's accounts that is greater than $500.00 as a potential match to an open family court case. The problem also is when a wrong match is made and money is taken from an individual that there is no recourse because the state has granted immunity from liability in these actions.

Do you want your personal information shared with government agencies that don't have adequate safeguards, violate federal privacy regulations, and laptops containing confidential information about you floating loosely around all over the place? Do you want to have to rebuild your credit from scratch because of mistakes made by incompetent government agencies that are sharing information back and forth?

You should opt-out of Family Court Services and/or Friend of the Court services as soon as possible and BEFORE identity theft happens to you! Here's how!

Additional Criminal Activities that may already be occuring with your private information: