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State employee accused of FoodShare theft, draining person's account

By
Published  October 11, 2024 5:20pm CDT
Crime and Public Safety
FOX6 News Milwaukee

State employee charged with FoodShare theft

Her job was to help manage public assistance for people in need. Prosecutors say she's now charged with draining a person's account to the tune of thousands of dollars.

The Brief

    • Prosecutors have charged a woman with theft from Wisconsin's FoodShare benefits program.
    • Iesha Frazier-Christie is accused of making purchases totaling thousands of dollars using another person's account.
    • Frazier-Christie has been summoned to appear in court in November.

MILWAUKEE - Her job was to help manage public assistance for people in need.

Prosecutors say she's now charged with draining a person's account to the tune of thousands of dollars.

Wisconsin's FoodShare program is designed to stop hunger, giving people who don't have a lot of money, or have limited incomes, to get by.

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Marcia P. Coggs Human Services Center.

In October 2022, a client contacted the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS).

He and his wife tried to buy food, but couldn't.

Court filings say investigators quickly found out where that money went and to whom.

Back on Sept. 28, 2022, prosecutors say Iesha Frazier-Christie was working at the Marcia P. Coggs Human Services Building.

She has worked for the Wisconsin DHS since March of that year, handling case management for public assistance programs, like FoodShare.

Milwaukee County Courthouse

DHS records showed an employee accessed the couple's account.

The next day, a phone call was placed to Quest Card customer service, and the PIN was changed.

The call was made from a number that was in contact with a phone number used by Frazier-Christie for her own public assistance account.

Records show purchases began immediately. Hundreds of dollars of purchases were made at Walmart. Some were picked up at the store on East Capitol Drive.

And in the span of just several hours that one day, investigators say there were 16 fraudulent purchases totaling more than $7,200, as well as more than $350 through Amazon.

Even with more than $900 in returned transactions, prosecutors say Frazier-Christie, as well as un-charged co-conspirators, stole more than $6,600 from the couple.

FOX6 went to addresses associated with Frazier-Christie in Milwaukee.

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FOX6 also tried multiple phone numbers associated with her. The numbers were either disconnected, or no longer hers.

It's unclear if she has an attorney that can speak on her behalf.

FOX6 also reached out to DHS. A spokesperson said it doesn't comment on legal matters.

A summons was mailed for her to appear in court in November.

The Source

  • The criminal complaint was sent to FOX6.