Welfare recipients live in mansion

Steinhauer said:
Obviously some people just don't get it. It is wrong pure and simple.
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They need to live in trailer park! That way, we can build a moat around them, and keep them away from our children! And no TV bigger than 27"!

:giggle:
 
First of all, look at the source. "The Sideshow"? Really? Come on now.

They don't own the home. They rent the home. No one knows what their monthly rent is. The owner of the home has evidently agreed to accept the vouchers from them. That means that he is not charging rent proportionate to this supposed value of the home.

They are both on disability. They are eligible for Section 8 vouchers as a result. They are eliglble for food stamps as a result.

Stories like this do just want they are intended to do. They give only a small part of the story and word it in a way that gets people to react from emotion just like they are doing here.

Say this was a scam. It is one out of millions of people that are not scamming the system and need these benefits to survive. But people get all riled up and start spouting nonsense from an emotional basis and forget about the children that would not have a roof over their head or food in their stomachs without assistance.

The Sideshow should be ashamed of themselves for even printing something like this and the OP should be ashamed of himself for posting it here. Some attitude for someone who claims to be a cop.:roll:
 
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airportcop said:
Seattle welfare recipient lives in million-dollar home | The Sideshow - Yahoo! News

This is part of what's wrong with our government today! Welfare recipients living in a mansion, traveling the world and getting food stamps?
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Welfare is a fix for an imperfect economy where someone does not earn enough money to afford a decent living. While I don't argue that people take advantage of the system(they take advantage of every system), the goal of the program is not to decrease your living standard so much as secure it until a time when you no longer need the benefit. The whole point of the social programs is to prevent you from going broke because that is what hurts the economy.
 
Jiro said:
police is not involved because this is a federal matter. As far as I'm concerned, they have not been charged with anything.
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Correct. And I would venture a guess that investigators showed up because some neighbor got a wild hair up their butt and reported them for possible fraud. Given some of the replies I have seen in this thread, it is very probable that something like that happened. People get emotional and vindictive.
 
More details:

Feds sue Seattle couple, alleging benefit fraud
By Mike Carter
Seattle Times staff reporter

A Seward Park chiropractor and the woman believed to be his wife have been sued by the federal government for allegedly collecting welfare benefits and food stamps while living in a $1.2 million lakefront home in South Seattle.

The lawsuit was filed on Friday, three days after federal agents executed a criminal search warrant at the home of David Silverstein and Lyudmila Shimonova, who the lawsuit says "are believed to be man and wife."

Shimonova claims to be disabled and has been the recipient of the benefits.

The suit alleges that Silverstein has been collecting more than $1,000 a month in federal Housing and Urban Development rent subsidies for Shimonova to live in the home near Pritchard Beach on Lake Washington.

HUD, however, said it was not aware that Silverstein was living at the home with Shimonova, and that the couple appear to be married — conditions that would make him ineligible to receive the payments, and wrong for Shimonova to apply for them.

The lawsuit alleges the couple violated the False Claims Act by lying on applications at least seven times over the years.

The lawsuit, filed by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Seattle, alleges that Silverstein received more than $135,000 in housing benefits while living in the home. The lawsuit and search warrant say Silverstein was routinely seen at the home driving a black Jaguar.

Federal agents from the HUD Office of Inspector General executed a search warrant at the lakefront home on Nov. 29. The warrant said agents are investigating the couple for mail fraud, Social Security fraud and theft of government funds. No criminal charges have been filed.
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Feds sue Seattle couple, alleging benefit fraud | Seattle Times Newspaper
 
Reba said:
More details:


Feds sue Seattle couple, alleging benefit fraud | Seattle Times Newspaper
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Thank you Reba! My source came from Yahoo/AT&T email. I didn't dig it up or go looking for it. While a 2500 sq ft home may not be a mansion stealing from the people and the government is a crime. It really has little or nothing to do with the size of the home, although 2500 sq ft is a sizable home but more to do with the real estate values and price of mortgage or rent and their living standards. People on welfare and food stamps are not supposed to be able to drive Jaguars and travel the world. I was merely pointing out how our system is being abused. I'm quite sure they are not the only ones abusing it either. I support mandatory drug & alcohol testing for welfare and food stamp recipients and those that can work should be given jobs of some sort to earn their keep. I do realize too that there are those that are incapable of supporting themselves due to their disabilities. I have no problem supporting people like the later or helping someone out who is struggling to make it. Prosecute the criminals!
 
airportcop said:
Thank you Reba! My source came from Yahoo/AT&T email. I didn't dig it up or go looking for it. While a 2500 sq ft home may not be a mansion stealing from the people and the government is a crime. It really has little or nothing to do with the size of the home, although 2500 sq ft is a sizable home but more to do with the real estate values and price of mortgage or rent and their living standards. People on welfare and food stamps are not supposed to be able to drive Jaguars and travel the world. I was merely pointing out how our system is being abused. I'm quite sure they are not the only ones abusing it either. I support mandatory drug & alcohol testing for welfare and food stamp recipients and those that can work should be given jobs of some sort to earn their keep. I do realize too that there are those that are incapable of supporting themselves due to their disabilities. I have no problem supporting people like the later or helping someone out who is struggling to make it. Prosecute the criminals!
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why not? what if they knew how to manage their money very well? what if they got a killer deal on it or had excellent connections? Florida is full of foreclosed/impounded property. Many stuff get sold for dirt cheap price.

I don't care how they live or what they drive as long as they didn't defraud us.
 
I don't agree about them living in a mansion.

I recalled an article about Imelda R. Marcos in Philippine. This woman, Imelda, collected 2,000 shoes in her big closet. In fact, she is on welfare about 15,000 American dollars monthly. She is still alive. She announced in 1980's to say that she was so poor and still lives in her own Mansion. She is full of BS and greedy. I cannot believe that U.S. Government gives her some of our taxpayers for her "salary." Do you remember this story a long time ago? (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imelda_Marcos) I thought that she was dead, but she is not.
 
Jiro said:
why not? what if they knew how to manage their money very well? what if they got a killer deal on it or had excellent connections? Florida is full of foreclosed/impounded property. Many stuff get sold for dirt cheap price.

I don't care how they live or what they drive as long as they didn't defraud us.
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Well jiro, in most instances like this people are defrauding the government. If you can manage your money that well you do not need welfare and food stamps!
 
Oh well. I would rather live in a society where it is easier to defraud the government than making it more difficult to get assistance from the government. I have no idea where these people get their funds, but 2500 sq. feet in not that big a residence.
 
Beowulf said:
Oh well. I would rather live in a society where it is easier to defraud the government than making it more difficult to get assistance from the government....
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The problem is, there are limited resources for everyone that needs help. If waste, fraud and abuse take up some of those resources, there is less left for those who really need it.
 
Reba said:
The problem is, there are limited resources for everyone that needs help. If waste, fraud and abuse take up some of those resources, there is less left for those who really need it.
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We cannot assume there is massive fraud taking place. Just prosecute the ones that are guilty of it. I hope you are not hinting at shutting down assistance because of the possibility of fraud.
 
Beowulf said:
We cannot assume there is massive fraud taking place. Just prosecute the ones that are guilty of it.
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I support that.

I hope you are not hinting at shutting down assistance because of the possibility of fraud.
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Not at all. Just the opposite. I support prosecuting the frauds so that there will be more money available for those who really need it.
 
Reba said:
I support that.


Not at all. Just the opposite. I support prosecuting the frauds so that there will be more money available for those who really need it.
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Oh, I knew that. Just making conversation for the benefit of others. ;)
 
jillio said:
First of all, look at the source. "The Sideshow"? Really? Come on now.

They don't own the home. They rent the home. No one knows what their monthly rent is. The owner of the home has evidently agreed to accept the vouchers from them. That means that he is not charging rent proportionate to this supposed value of the home.
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hmm. I think I missed that part. They must have been under section 8 to qualify for it. I should read links like stieny's a lot more carefully than I did.
They are both on disability. They are eligible for Section 8 vouchers as a result. They are eliglble for food stamps as a result.
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Yes that is correct.
Stories like this do just want they are intended to do. They give only a small part of the story and word it in a way that gets people to react from emotion just like they are doing here.
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That's outrageous and that is yellow journalism at it's "finest". :P
Say this was a scam. It is one out of millions of people that are not scamming the system and need these benefits to survive. But people get all riled up and start spouting nonsense from an emotional basis and forget about the children that would not have a roof over their head or food in their stomachs without assistance.
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Well, that was the only explanation that I could think of of why the Feds would be here. :dunno: Guess someone got riled up and called the Feds. That leaves a bitter taste in my mouth if what you assert is true.
The Sideshow should be ashamed of themselves for even printing something like this and the OP should be ashamed of himself for posting it here. Some attitude for someone who claims to be a cop.:roll:
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I think the next time I post about about something like this, I will make sure I do more than a cursory glance at the link.I should check out all the links provided by the source as well. :P
 
Jiro said:
why not? what if they knew how to manage their money very well? what if they got a killer deal on it or had excellent connections? Florida is full of foreclosed/impounded property. Many stuff get sold for dirt cheap price.

I don't care how they live or what they drive as long as they didn't defraud us.
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:hmm: You have a point there.
 
airportcop said:
Well jiro, in most instances like this people are defrauding the government. If you can manage your money that well you do not need welfare and food stamps!
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no...... no...... no...... what I mean is that they're on fixed income just like everybody else. They made do with same fixed income like everybody else in welfare program.

So is it wrong of me if I live like a king while rest suffer even though if we all have same fixed incomes?
 
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