Welfare worker accused of stealing nearly $75,000
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20080418/NEWS01/768046186&news01ad=1
By Diana Hefley, Herald Writer
LYNNWOOD -- A former state employee entrusted to help the poor has been
arrested for allegedly stealing almost $75,000 meant for welfare clients.
As a financial services specialist, Richard N. Hartline, 30, opened
accounts and authorized funds for people who applied for medical, food
and financial assistance from the State Department of Social and Health
Services.
Detectives believe Hartline opened bogus accounts, withdrew the cash and
kept the money, according to court documents. Investigators found
evidence that Hartline fraudulently authorized $74,599 to be deposited
into 11 fake accounts between December 2005 and September 2006.
"He was able to circumvent the checks and balances," Washington State
Patrol detective Charles Sletten said. "He found a glitch in the system."
Hartline resigned from DSHS in November. He agreed to surrender to
police and was booked into jail for investigation of multiple felony
counts of misappropriation and falsification of accounts. Hartline
appeared Thursday in Everett District Court, where a judge ordered him
released without bail.
He declined to speak with investigators about the allegations, Sletten
said.
A second DSHS financial services specialist resigned in connection with
the case last year. Investigators believe that man gave Hartline access
to his computer and Hartline opened two fraudulent accounts using the
man's name and password, Sletten said. Detectives don't believe the
second employee was directly involved in the alleged thefts.
The fraudulent accounts first came to the attention of administrators at
the Lynnwood DSHS office in September 2006 after they received
complaints that Hartline was dealing drugs to clients, according to
court documents. Hartline had worked for DSHS since August 2002.
A supervisor audited the clients' accounts and discovered that Hartline
had authorized financial assistance to the two men without verifying
that they were eligible, Sletten wrote. The office launched a full audit.
DSHS policy requires an applicant to meet with a caseworker, who will
determine if the person is eligible for assistance and also verify the
applicant's identity, according to court documents. The information is
then passed along to a financial service specialist who opens an account
for the person. The client is given a card, like a debit card, to
purchase items or withdraw cash.
Detectives believe Hartline recorded computer records for 11 accounts to
make it appear that the application had been properly processed. He also
backdated the accounts so caseworkers were unaware that they needed to
verify the person's identity, Sletten wrote. Once he opened the
fraudulent accounts, Hartline allegedly authorized backdated deposits,
according to court documents.
Detectives spoke with seven of the 11 people who had accounts opened in
their names. They all were friends or former high school classmates of
Hartline but denied knowing that he was stealing from the state using
their names, according to court documents.
Police believe once the money was deposited, Hartline got the clients'
cards and immediately withdrew the money. Four clients told police
they'd lent Hartline their cards for various reasons, Sletten wrote.
Detectives couldn't find any evidence that the clients were involved in
the thefts and don't expect to make any additional arrests, Sletten said.
DSHS officials believe their internal controls worked to catch the
fraud. They haven't changed anything in the system, spokeswoman Kathy
Spears said. DSHS financial transactions are routinely audited, she said.
She had no explanation why it took nearly nine months to discover the
fraudulent accounts.
"As soon as we got wind, we took action," she said.
Reporter Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463 or hefley@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Inconvenient Truth about Child Protective Services, Foster care, and
the Child Protection "INDUSTRY"
Child Protective Services Does not protect children...
It is sickening how many children are subject to abuse, neglect and even
killed at the hands of CPS.
every parent should read the free handbook from
connecticut dcf watch...
http://www.connecticutdcfwatch.com
Number of Cases per 100,000 children in the US
These numbers come from The National Center on
Child Abuse and Neglect in Washington. (NCCAN)
Recent numbers have increased significantly for CPS
Perpetrators of Maltreatment
Physical Abuse CPS/Foster care 160, biological Parents 59
Sexual Abuse CPS/Foster care 112, biological Parents 13
Neglect CPS/Foster care 410, biological Parents 241
Medical Neglect CPS/Foster care 14 biological Parents 12
Fatalities CPS/Foster care 6.4, biological Parents 1.5
Imagine that, 6.4 children die at the hands of the very agencies that
are supposed to protect them and only 1.5 at the hands of parents per
100,000 children. CPS perpetrates more abuse, neglect, and sexual abuse
and kills more children then parents in the United States. If the
citizens of this country hold CPS to the same standards that they hold
parents too. No judge should ever put another child in the hands of ANY
government agency because CPS nationwide is guilty of more harm and
death than any human being combined. CPS nationwide is guilty of more
human rights violations and deaths of children then the homes from which
they were removed. When are the judges going to wake up and see that
they are sending children to their death and a life of abuse when
children are removed from safe homes based on the mere opinion of a
bunch of social workers.
THIS IS AMERICA'S HIDDEN HOLOCAUST
Currently Child Protective Services violates more constitutionally
guaranteed liberties & civil rights on a daily basis then all other
agencies combined, Including the National Security agency/Central
intelligence agency wiretaping programs…
THE CORRUPT BUSINESS OF CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES
BY: Nancy Schaefer Senator, 50th District of Georgia
http://www.senatornancyschaefer.com/articles.php?filter=6
This is Child Protection?
By Gregory A. Hession, J.D.
http://www.jbs.org/node/4632
Mercenary Motherhood: "Memoirs of a Babystealer."
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-callahan16oct16,0,5019944.story?coll=la-opinion-rightrail
FOSTER CARE IS A 80 PERCENT FAILURE:. A Brief Analysis of the Casey
Family Programs. Northwest Foster Care Alumni Study. By Richard Wexler
http://www.nccpr.org/reports/cfpanalysis.doc
HOW THE WAR AGAINST CHILD ABUSE BECAME A WAR AGAINST CHILDREN
http://www.nccpr.org/issues/1.html
Adoption Bonuses: The Money Behind the Madness
DSS and affiliates rewarded for breaking up families
By Nev Moore Massachusetts News
http://www.massnews.com/past_issues/2000/5_May/mayds4.htm
A recent study has found that 12-18 months after leaving foster care:
30% of the nation’s homeless are former foster children.
27% of the males and 10% of the females had been incarcerated
33% were receiving public assistance
37% had not finished high school
2% receive a college degree
50% were unemployed
Children in foster care are three to six times more likely than children
not in care to have emotional, behavioral and developmental problems,
including conduct disorders, depression, difficulties in school and
impaired social relationships. Some experts estimate that about 30% of
the children in care have marked or severe emotional problems. Various
studies have indicated that children and young people in foster care
tend to have limited education and job skills, perform poorly in school
compared to children who are not in foster care, lag behind in their
education by at least one year, and have lower educational attainment
than the general population.
*Casey Family Programs National Center for Resource Family Support
80 percent of prison inmates have been through the foster care system.
The highest ranking federal official in charge of foster care, Wade Horn
of the Department of Health and Human Services, is a former child
psychologist who says the foster care system is a giant mess and should
just be blown up.
http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=2017991
Four rigorous studies have found that at least 30 percent of America’s
foster children could be home right now if their parents had decent
housing.
This study found thousands of children already in foster care who would
have done better had child protection agencies not taken them away in
the first place.
Front-page story in USA Today.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-07-02-foster-study_N.htm?csp=34#Close
The full study is available here.
http://www.mit.edu/~jjdoyle/doyle_fosterlt_march07_aer.pdf
The bottom line? - Child Protective Services and the Foster Care system
for the most part turns out young adults that are nothing more than
walking wreckage...
CURRENTLY CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES VIOLATES MORE CONSTITUTIONALLY
GUARANTEED LIBERTIES & CIVIL RIGHTS ON A DAILY BASIS THEN ALL OTHER
AGENCIES COMBINED INCLUDING THE NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCY/CENTRAL
INTELLIGENCE AGENCY WIRETAPPING PROGRAMS....
CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES, HAPPILY DESTROYING THOUSANDS OF INNOCENT
FAMILIES YEARLY NATIONWIDE AND COMING TO YOU'RE HOME SOON...
BE SURE TO FIND OUT WHERE YOUR CANDIDATES STANDS ON THE ISSUE OF
REFORMING OR ABOLISHING CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES ("MAKE YOUR CANDIDATES
TAKE A STAND ON THIS ISSUE.") THEN REMEMBER TO VOTE ACCORDINGLY IF THEY
ARE "FAMILY UNFRIENDLY" IN THE NEXT ELECTION...
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