Investigators charged a Geneva woman after a welfare fraud investigation found she allegedly received benefits she did not qualify for.
Ashlee S. Chynoweth, 32, was arrested around 4:30 p.m. at the Ontario County Jail following an investigation by the Ontario County Sheriff’s Office.
The case began after the Ontario County Department of Social Services raised concerns about Chynoweth’s benefit eligibility. Investigators said she failed to report that the father of her children lived in her household while income went undisclosed.
According to investigators, reporting that household information would have reduced her DSS benefits by $10,020. Chynoweth was charged with welfare fraud in the third degree.
She was arraigned through the Ontario County Centralized Arraignment Program before Justice Engard and released on her own recognizance. Chynoweth is scheduled to appear in Hopewell Town Court at a later date to answer the charge.
Investigator Woehr handled the investigation.
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