A Batavia woman who admitted this morning to defrauding the Department of Social Services out of $9,278 has until Feb. 12 to pay it all back or face up to two years in prison.
Tami Mileham made a $2,000 payment this morning.
If she makes the remainder of her scheduled payments, she's looking at much less time in jail after pleading guilty to two counts of offering a false instrument in the second degree.
Mileham admitted to making false statements on food stamp applications about a person living in her residence at the time.
Her reduced sentence could either be 60 days in jail, or 60 days of jail time staggered over four months. Otherwise, each count carries a one-year prison term and those terms could be imposed consecutively rather than concurrently.
She should pay the money back
She should pay the money back with interest plus do the jail time. Times are difficult for everyone. Nobody has the right to steal from every tax payer and from those who actually need the benefits.
I feel that Tami Mileham slapped every tax payer in the face and she should make a public apology to everyone. Work, don't steal.
i agree with you Doug, this
i agree with you Doug, this has to stop, we cant not afford this steeling
If it wernt fer the petty
If it wernt fer the petty theft and drug and alcohol arrests nobody in Mayberry would have anyone to talk about behind their backs.
Dick's right, but he doesn't
Dick's right, but he doesn't have to be a Richard about it. When people take desperate action it is generally the sign of a desperate person. No one should have to live like that, and everyone deserves a second chance. Second, third is pushing it. Jail time should be a last resort. It costs society way too much.
So the rest of us that choose
So the rest of us that choose to work and not steal are what, just stupid?
I could not agree less that stealing is a sign of desperation. It's a sign of not giving a crap about the people you're stealing from. There's never a time where stealing should be tolerated. This liberal attitude is why we're the #1 welfare state in the nation.
Voicing an opinion in a public forum for all to see is hardly "behind" anyone's back.
She can have her chance to rejoin society after she pays the penalty for stealing from us.
Posted by Doug Yeomans on
Posted by Doug Yeomans on December 15, 2009 - 10:33am
This liberal attitude is why we're the #1 welfare state in the nation.
Whoa, wait one minute.
The legitimate objective of government is to do
for a community of people whatever they need to
have done but cannot do at all in separate and
individual capacities.”
Do you know what bleeding heart liberal wrote that?
Being a liberal doesn't mean that one condones stealing from the public coffers.
Lying to receive benefits of any kind steals from all of us. It is wrong, and when discovered, the person should make restitution and, if warrented, serve time.
Painting liberals as the cause of all the problems in NYS may make you feel better, and you are entitled to your opinion.
The truth is there are dishonest people who will work the system. Does that mean we should throw the baby out with the bathwater and deny those, in real need, help?
By the way, that statement was made by Abraham Lincoln and it is the first paragraph of the Genesee Co. Legistlature's mission statement.
Bea, I said "liberal
Bea, I said "liberal attitude" not "liberalism". I meant the dictionary definition of the word. Liberal: loose, not strict. I guess it's an outdated term.
It costs a lot of money to
It costs a lot of money to house a prisoner and they don't earn anything, or even learn anything while in there. The goal should be restitution or recompense but not revenge. I don't like thieves either, I just don't think prison is the answer for many people who are in prison. I have a "liberal attitude" because I don't agree with the hell and damnation "conservative attitude." Merry Xmas and a Happy Holiday. I don't want to take the Christ out of Christmas, I just want to piss off the people who think that I do.
I don't know anyone with a
I don't know anyone with a conservative attitude that wants hell and damnation as punishment. Heck, I'm an atheist and the last thing I'd ever believe in is hell and damnation.
I even love Christmas! What's so wrong about showing love and compassion for your fellow human being? It's a time for family, good cheer, charitable acts of kindness and for laying aside bitterness.
There has to be some kind of punishment for stealing, though. If there's no punishment, what's the deterrent? If people steal and know all they have to do is pay it back if they get caught, what's for them to worry about?
I wonder if these people should just be given a spanking and pay back what they stole. To me, the amount of money involved really is a moot point. Stealing public funds that are paid for by tax payers so that everyone can have some quality of life is equally wrong, regardless of the total monetary value.
http://apnews.excite.com/article/20091215/D9CJU4QO0.html
Maybe instead of jail time,
Maybe instead of jail time, the judge can just double the restitution. Someone has to pay the costs of investigating and prosecuting. The cost of getting caught has to be painful somehow.
I just do not feel sorry for her. There are plenty of other avenues to take if things are so bad that you're contemplating stealing to get some food.