Belleville Woman Pleads Guilty To Theft Of Government Funds

The United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Stephen R. Wigginton, announced today that Roshanda J. Story, a/k/a Roshanda J. Guyton, 34, of Belleville, Illinois, pled guilty today to the charge of Theft of Government Funds. Story faces the following maximum penalties: ten years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, a $250,000 fine, restitution to the child care program and a special assessment of $100. The Court ordered that Story be held without bond until her sentencing on July 24, 2015.

Court records indicate that from December 2012 through May 2013, Story admitted to willfully and knowingly stealing government funds by falsifying application forms in order to receive child care benefits to which she was not entitled. She claimed child care benefits through the Illinois Department of Human Services, which are federally funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, for being a single parent when in fact she lived with and was assisted in caring for a child with the child’s father. In all, Story improperly received $2,379.25 in child care benefits

The case was investigated by the U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services Office for the Southern District of Illinois with the assistance of the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, Office of Inspector General, Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Liam Coonan.