HOLY SMOKES: FEDERAL PROGRAM FRAUD COULD COST TAXPAYERS UP TO $521 BILLION A YEAR
Just The News reports that fraud across federal programs could total as much as $521 billion annually, with only 64 of more than 2,200 federal payment programs reviewed each year. The USDA found 186,000 deceased people listed for food stamps in the 29 states that cooperated, along with roughly 500,000 people receiving benefits in two states simultaneously. Twenty-one states reportedly refused to provide data, including Minnesota, California, Illinois, Colorado, Maine and New York.