Press release:
Elizabeth Gates, 43 of Bensalem, PA formerly of Batavia, pled guilty to one count of petit larceny in Batavia town Court on September 28, 2021. Sentencing has been scheduled for December.
Gates was originally charged with six counts of first degree Offering a False Instrument for Filing, seven counts of third-degree Forgery and one count of third-degree Grand Larceny after an investigation by Genesee County Social Services Investigator Robert Riggi revealed that gates forged signatures on several documents and providing false information in order to qualify for SNAP benefits.
Full Restitution of $7,792.00 has been made to the Genesee County Department of Social Services, and Gates will be disqualified from receiving SNAP benefits for one year.
Corrine Navarra, 40 of Oakfield, pled guilty to one count of Petit Larceny in Batavia Town Court on October 19, 2021 and was sentenced to a one-year conditional discharge.
Navarra was originally charged with one count of third-degree Grand Larceny and one count of third-degree Welfare Fraud after an investigation by Genesee County Social Services Investigator Robert Riggi found that Navarra failed to report that her husband’s income from a new job or that she had been laid off and was receiving unemployment insurance benefits, resulting in her receiving $3,840.00 in SNAP benefits she was not entitled to.
Full restitution has been made to the Genesee County Department of Social Services and Navarra will be disqualified from receiving SNAP benefits for one year.
Anyone wishing to report suspected cases of welfare fraud in Genesee County can contact the Genesee County Department of Social Services Fraud Unit at (585) 344-2580, ext. 6417 or 6541.
