(there was 600,000 int the bank account) see their photo
https://www.ocregister.com/2019/08/02/westminster-mother-daughter-accused-of-largest-housing-fraud-case-in-orange-county-history-da-says/
Westminster mother, daughter accused of ‘largest
housing fraud case in Orange County history,’ DA says
The
pair are accused of bilking more than $190,000 from the county.
A mother and daughter from
Westminster are facing felony welfare fraud charges after allegedly bilking
$190,000 from Orange County housing services, the Orange County District
Attorney’s office says. Errica Mickens (left), 55, and Brittany Mickens
(right), 29, were arrested on Thursday, Aug. 1. (Photo courtesy of the Orange
County District Attorney)
By Emily Rasmussen
| erasmussen@scng.com
| Long Beach Press-Telegram
PUBLISHED: August 2, 2019 at 5:08 pm
| UPDATED: August 2, 2019 at 5:08 pm
A mother and daughter from Westminster
are facing felony welfare fraud charges in what the Orange County District
Attorney’s office says is the “largest housing fraud case” in county history.
Errica Madkins Mickens, 55, and
Brittany Monet Mickens, 29, were arrested Thursday, Aug. 1, on suspicion of
bilking more than $190,000 from county housing services.
The pair are accused of concealing
their identities to gain funds from Orange County’s Housing Authority Section
8, which provides rental assistance to low-income households, and In Home
Supportive Services, which provides benefits to its disabled clients such as
support for family care.
“The brazen way (the IHSS) program
was exploited by these two individuals to steal taxpayer dollars is beyond
disturbing,” District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a statement.
The mother and daughter allegedly
used multiple birth certificates and ID cards to gain eligibility for the
public programs, hiding their true identities, but investigators say Errica and
Brittany Mickens have more than $600,000 in their bank accounts.
Errica Mickens is an IHSS client who
received the maximum benefits – for clients who need 285 hours of assistance
per month. Brittany Mickens served as the care provider for her mother, who she
said she could not speak or walk, according to prosecutors.
But during surveillance in the
district attorney’s probe, Errica Mickens was seen moving trash cans, carrying
vehicle tires, driving a vehicle and shopping in grocery stores, without aid.
Investigators also said the mother and daughter took a recent trip to Europe,
which they posted on social media, and bought a new SUV.
Multiple charges were filed at the
county’s Central Justice Center and the pair were arraigned Friday morning,
Aug. 2, the district attorney’s office said
Errica Mickens and Brittany Mickens
each face one felony count of grand theft public housing fraud, grand theft of
housing funds, medical insurance fraud of In Home Supportive Services, and
grand theft of IHSS funds. They also face four enhancements of aggravated white
collar crime over $100,000 and under $500,000.
