Questions in regards to welfare fraud as well as search warrants

[oldmem]

I am curious, is it common in cases of welfare fraud that Search warrants are issued? As well as cell phone's being tapped? It would be considered a minor offense if there is such a thing. Also is it common for a person's name to be listed on the search warrant even thou they don't live with you and are not on your rental agreement? Is it legal for the search warrant to grant access to your text messages, pictures and call logs ect? I already know that I am being used as a pawn, targeted due to another police investigation. I cannot afford an attorney or else i would ask them. To me this all seems very extreme. Any information is greatly appreciated

 

[army judge]

You can request the court to appoint you a public defender if you can't afford to hire your own attorney.

You do this at your arraignment. You plead not guilty, make no statement, and ask for a public defender. The court will decide.

The answers to ALL of your questions are YES.

I'm not your lawyer, but I'm offering this tidbit for free.
If ALL of that is happening, it's time to do FOUR things:
STOP TALKING
STAY AWY FROM PEOPLE THAT MIGHT BE GETTING YOU PULLED INTO THEIR MESSES
STAY OFF THE STREETS AND KEEP A VERY LOW PROFILE.
STOP USING EMAIL, SOCIAL MEDIA, AND ANY TELEPHONE.

WHY?

They could have tapped into all of that stuff.
The walls might have EARS AND EYES.
Computer cables and wifi networks are often monitored in cases such as you describe.
Better safe than sorry.
Also, start talking only about ponies, puppies, pansies, and harmless stuff.
The Feds are very slick.

 

[oldmem]

I have not been charged with a crime thou, first they got the warrant for welfare fraud and then 6 weeks or so later I received a letter stating that I have an over payment in TANF in the amount of 21,000.00, they claim that my husband has lived with me since 2008, which is false. I wouldn't sign the agreement to pay back, I instead requested a hearing

 

[disagreeable]

Welfare fraud is in fact a Federal crime and you can do Federal time. It is not petty.

 

[Proserpina]

Agreed - this is not a parking ticket. This can be as serious a white collar crime as the average person can manage to do.

And also agreed - the Feds have a LOT more in their arsenal than most people can possibly imagine.

Given that there's a chance you'll be walking away with a felony record as well as having to repay, you seriously need to think about things...very, very carefully.

 

[Betty3]

You might really want to talk to an attorney. You might be able to get a referral to a low cost/no cost attorney through your local legal aid society, local or state bar assoc. or local law school if there is one.

 

[CdwJava]

I am curious, is it common in cases of welfare fraud that Search warrants are issued?

Common? No. Possible? Yes.

A lot depends on the facts and the details. Depending on the circumstances and the institutions involved, a request or subpoena will often suffice.

As well as cell phone's being tapped?

Possible, but exceedingly rare unless we are talking about HUGE sums or an involved or large conspiracy case.

Also is it common for a person's name to be listed on the search warrant even thou they don't live with you and are not on your rental agreement?

A person can be residing or frequenting a location without being on the lease.

A person's name is not usually on the search warrant, though it might very well be included on the affidavit in support of the search warrant.

Is it legal for the search warrant to grant access to your text messages, pictures and call logs ect?

If the search warrant grants that access, yes, of course it is.

I already know that I am being used as a pawn, targeted due to another police investigation. I cannot afford an attorney or else i would ask them. To me this all seems very extreme. Any information is greatly appreciated

If you are charged with a crime, you can ask the court to appoint legal counsel.