A Wayne County man will spend the next year under federal supervision and confinement for his involvement in a scheme that defrauded a federal food assistance program of over $100,000. Deshaune White was sentenced to six months in federal prison, six months in home confinement, and three years of supervised release by Chief United States District Judge Richard E. Myers II.
White was also sentenced to pay a forfeiture money judgment of $102,733.80 to recover the stolen funds.
White committed the scam by utilizing his employment within the system. Working as a case worker for the Lenoir County Division of Social Services, he illegally accessed qualified individuals’ Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) accounts. From there, he siphoned $102,733.80 in government cash for personal gain and use.
The SNAP program is federally financed by the USDA and managed statewide by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, in collaboration with local county offices.
The prosecution comes amid a greater federal assault on benefit theft. On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the formation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division, a body charged with investigating and prosecuting those who misuse taxpayer funds. These activities help President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government project led by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse in federal benefit programs.
Following the sentencing, Ellis Boyle, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, addressed the court’s ruling and emphasized the government’s position against safety net theft.
“We are pleased to be prosecuting this case as part of the President’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud. This administration will continue to hold accountable anyone who defrauds one of our taxpayer-funded programs. This SNAP fraudster is now a felon who will have to repay his ill-gotten profits. Hopefully, he has learned his lesson: cheaters. Never. “Win,” stated US Attorney Ellis Boyle.
The USDA Office of Inspector General (OIG) and the Lenoir County Sheriff’s Office worked together to conduct the investigation. Officials stated that combating insider threats is still a top focus for federal oversight agencies.
“It is an inexcusable breach of the public trust for a county official in charge of distributing federal food aid to poor North Carolinian families to use his privileged access to recipient information to steal from those in need for personal benefit. The USDA OIG is committed to collaborating with the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, led by Vice President Vance, to hold accountable anybody who defrauds American taxpayers or exploits the vulnerable. Inspector General John Walk stated, “The OIG will relentlessly pursue insider threats who seek to profit from their position.”
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