West Virginia Woman Sentenced for SSN Misuse, Government Fraud

From the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of West Virginia:

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced today that Shannon Collins, 41, of Logan, West Virginia, was sentenced to five years of probation, with a condition that she spend one year in home confinement.

Johnston also ordered Collins to pay restitution of $58,264 to the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources.

In 2009, Collins, also known as Shannon Varney, was a caseworker in the Logan DHHR office. She used the Social Security numbers of two deceased individuals to set up false accounts from which she claimed benefits from a state fund established to transport children to and from medical care. Collins also fraudulently charged expenses to two Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Mountain State cards (also known as food stamp cards) to which she was not entitled.

The investigation was conducted by the West Virginia DHHR, assisted by the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Offices of Inspector General, DHHR, Social Security Administration and the Department of Agriculture.

United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston imposed the sentence.

Assistant United States Attorney Erik Goes handled the prosecution of this case

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – United States Attorney Booth Goodwin announced today that Shannon Collins, 41, of Logan, West Virginia, was sentenced to five years of probation, with a condition that she spend one year in home confinement.

Johnston also ordered Collins to pay restitution of $58,264 to the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources.

In 2009, Collins, also known as Shannon Varney, was a caseworker in the Logan DHHR office. She used the Social Security numbers of two deceased individuals to set up false accounts from which she claimed benefits from a state fund established to transport children to and from medical care. Collins also fraudulently charged expenses to two Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Mountain State cards (also known as food stamp cards) to which she was not entitled.

The investigation was conducted by the West Virginia DHHR, assisted by the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Offices of Inspector General, DHHR, Social Security Administration and the Department of Agriculture.

United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston imposed the sentence.

Assistant United States Attorney Erik Goes handled the prosecution of this case