ALBION, N.Y. — Apparently one New York resident thinks getting $1,000 a week for life is not enough, and the taxpayers should give him more.
A western New York lottery winner has been accused of improperly receiving more than $4,000 in public assistance.
The Orleans County sheriff's office says 51-year-old Anthony Palermo of Albion began receiving $1,000 a week in 1998 after winning the "Win for Life" scratch-off lottery game. Police said Thursday that Palermo applied for and began receiving Medicaid and heating assistance benefits last fall.
Palermo was charged with welfare fraud, grand larceny and offering a false instrument for filing. He was released on his own recognizance and will be arraigned Tuesday.
It could not be determined Friday morning if Palermo had a lawyer.
What is up with him that $1000 every week was not enough?
A lot of things have gone up in prices since 1998 but still, $1000 a week should have covered it no?
I can't wait to hear his excuse, does he have two houses like the other welfare fraud lottery winner?
No he didn't !!!!!! Shame on you Mr. Palermo
there are people that really needed this assistance but can't get it because of people like you....
The problem is, they have no shame. There are millions of them out there, abusing the system.
OUTSTANDING taxpayer !!!! Fine example of a human being !!!.....How much is enough ?.....Time for some crowbar pajamas !!!
"offering a false instrument for filing."
Some Win for Life games payoff in quarterly payments while others are annual. He probably borrowed against his future payments, ran out of money, got a part time job, and used that for a record of earnings to get assistance. He probably hoped they would never find yearly lottery income.
I doubt he'll go to prison, but he can say goodbye to Medicaid and the heating assistance and will be ordered to make restitution.
We only hear about it when a lottery winner is defrauding the welfare system, but for everyone of those, there are probably thousands of others doing the same thing. Is it just me or has anyone else see many people getting 5 cases or more of soft drinks and paying for it with a Red, White, and Blue EBT card?
He should have to pay back all that he has received for assistance.. or forfeit his weekly lottery checks and continue with the assistance.
Anyone who wants to see the epitome of welfare fraud come spend the day at work with me, just today we had a fine young man buy 9 cases of REDBULL, At 35 dollars a case plus 2.40 in deposits per case which the tax payers shell out for that comes to $336.60, He did buy food, Famous Amos cookies, beef jerky, Hot pockets and the ever popular pop tarts, and yes I hope the Beef Jerky falls on the floor and the dog eats it. Oh he's wheeling 283, so anyone in Michigan who feels lucky you can play his number also, couldn't tell you what his mega- million numbers are.
The guy in this story needs to go to prison.
i agree he needs to go to prison, but won't that cost us even more ?
seems like they defy solutions.
Yep your right, but just maybe it will send a message that this fraud will not be tolerated, nothing like losing your freedom. Silly me, we are losing our freedom and dingbats like him will continue to vote for the scum thats taking it away from us.
just say O bama....
wow. That is alot of crap-tastic nutritionally-black-hole-certified food. And he got to do that on the taxpayers dime. Amazing.
... well except for the poptarts... (heh heh heh)
ohh dear oh dear, are we REALLY going to go there and speak for the TAXPAYERS?? Here let me run this down for all those that gripe, your hard earned money that gets taxed goes more towards bombs, ammo and securing our overseas allies then your ten cents chipped over to welfare or the likes. More of your tax dollars go towards Defense buying ( military tanks can run in the contracted millions!) and researching whether the great elm has a disease then the guy who bought redbull.
I care more about how we toss educational programs to the side and think that keeping illegal aliens helps the restaurant industry and the farming industry at a minimum cost. Stop chasing the nickel and dimers and start thinking about where your REAL TAX money is spent on...it is NOT to the people...
(done rant)
As for this NY guy, he needs a reality check written out to him instead of a lottery proceeds each year.
Our military deserves every nickel they get and should get more.
The teachers union scammers should be cut off and the welfare scammers should be locked up and the extra money given to the military.
I concur. Our military deserves the pay it receives. I suppose I could have written my post more clearly. Our welfare system is broken. There is not a time when we should be giving unrestricted $$$ to those who have been declared by some moving-target formula - as needy. If they are needy for food/nutrition, then give them food through the local food bank or excess food from farmers, or food that has a short shelf-life remaining. If they are needy for housing, then give the money directly to those who house them.
Should those 'on the dole' desire more freedom to spend (arguably) their money, then get education (provided through low-cost/no-cost government programs) and get a better job, more pay, work harder, work smarter.
Those who have gone through the system would be perfect resources AFTER getting out of it, to be on a 'non-compensated' task-force to help fix it (as part of the 'pay-back' for having been in the system).
As far as this 'gentleman's' lottery win? Too bad there is not something in the lottery by-laws that allows the winner to forfeit should they scam the government.
Roger that, max.
55 million people on welfare, thats over 3 and a half BILLION A YEAR
If you can afford lottery, beer, cigarettes you don't need me to feed you.
If you can afford private school, ballet lessons, karate lessons, music lessons, you don't need me to feed your kids.
The military, believe it or not, is there to keep people from killing us, oh yes, remember the guys who flew planes into our buildings ?
Redbull guy is not a nickle and dimer, not when he threw down over 400 dollars on crap. Besides, he has no intention of drinking that much redbull, he'll sell it , running an illegal business on tax payer dollars, he's not the only one.
That is not okay, it will never be okay.
Welfare is for the most desperate, not for thieves who have found a way at easy money at the expense of people who work their asses off, and have nothing to show for it, because the tax man took it and gave it to someone else.
you have the patience of a saint,
don't know how you tolerate seeing this stuff.
keep on keepin on and good luck.
Thanks Haymaker, I am running out of patience, We got people running catering businesses with their food stamps, people who plop their young kids outside to sell the candy they bought, drug addicts who give their food stamps to gas station or party store owners. The fraud is endless and it's not okay because the government is wasting money elsewhere, they shouldn't be wasting any of our money anywhere.
Well said, sully.
Graft and corruption don't bother the left at all.
It's their lifeblood. It's expected. It's demanded.
They love the crooks because they are the crooks.
And they hate our military with a passion.
he should do what the rest of them do; if you want to defraud and rip off the public. run for public office legitimately.
A lottery operated by the State. An individual applying for and receiving State benefits (and potentially Federal money too). So, how difficult could it possibly be to put in place a database of major winners for cross-referencing on things like welfare, child support, unpaid criminal fines, etc.? I know some states are just coming on board with this in particular relating to child support, but after all, this is the 21st Century, right? How technologically forward thinking and backward moving can a society be?
Shame on you Tony and HIGH FIVE^ to law enforcement.
Side note ;If your milking the system don't play the lottery ,
Jake .....Most of the heavily populated states that I am aware of already have this in place if you win....I know here in FL if you have any outstanding debt to be paid that is court affiliated/taxes, its taken before you collect a dime.....My question is if this system is already in place when you collect then why isn't the reverse in place when you go to ask for assistance............... Maybe N.Y. isn't up to date yet.
What difference does it make how many cases of soft drinks a person buys with THEIR EBT BENEFITS. Nobody tells you how to spend your money when you are grocery shopping... I am so tired of hearing people harp on folks because they receive food stamps. Somebody had to help your ass at one time. All in all I think it is just jealousy because their asses make too much to receive government assistance. I know I probably will get a lot of back lash for this comment but who cares! Bring it on Troll!!
Teacher unions don't get any money for the union from the taxpayers. It is member supported. A teacher's salary is what comes from local and state government and is based upon their criteria. So if a teacher wants to support the union, they pay their dues every month out of their paycheck.
A lot of the food banks here are in dire straights. They are giving at their max capacity and sometimes it is still not enough. I think if there were more jobs, then so many wouldn't be on public assistance. People who lost jobs during the past 3 years are still not completely back. We need industries that can compete with the garbage that China is dumping in America. Welfare cheats are bad but SSI cheaters are the worse of the lot. I know whole families drawing SSI.
Try,,,,,, While I understand your point about the right of choice, there is one area in your 2nd sentence that does create a major opposition to your point of view......"Nobody tells you how to spend your money when you are grocery shopping"........The difference being is I have earned the money and it is all mine to spend it as how I see fit. It was not a benefit from other taxpayers that is set up purposely to purchase quality, necessary food items.....
People aren't harping about the needy receiving of food stamps. They are complaining about the food stamps being used to purchase items that aren't necessary to exist. Thus the complaints about, "how many cases of soft drinks a person buys". Because soft drinks aren't a necessity. They never have been nor will they ever be.
"All in all I think it is just jealousy because their asses make too much to receive government assistance".....Its not a jealousy issue, its a valid complaint that purchasing unnecessary items for general living is NOT what the program was designed for...........
This article was written about a sneak trying to cheat the system because he was being a greedy individual, instead of someone who actually needed the help.