Ex-Pa. Welfare Department worker admits theft

MEDIA, Pa. - October 15, 2012 (WPVI) -- A former Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare caseworker has pleaded guilty to stealing public funds.

Prosecutors said 43-year-old Ivan Jones of Philadelphia used his job to obtain the personal information of public assistance recipients, which he used to open new cases and authorize payments to himself of nearly $39,000 between 2007 and 2011.

Jones pleaded guilty Wednesday to one count each of theft by deception and conspiracy to theft by deception, both third-degree felonies.

He was sentenced to three to 23 months in prison and ordered to pay a reduced restitution of about $26,000.

Another former Department of Welfare employee, 47-year-old Cynthia Lewis of Lansdowne, is scheduled for a Nov. 13 trial for allegedly draining more than $254,000 in public assistance funds from the state between 2007 and 2011.

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Information from: Delaware County Daily Times, http://www.delcotimes.com

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