Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
(SR)
NOW- FIGHTING FRAUD.
EYEWITNESS NEWS WITH
AN INSIDE LOOK AT A
GROUP WATCHING OUT
FOR YOUR TAX DOLLARS.
THE FRAUD UNIT AT THE
PROVIDENCE HOUSING
AUTHORITY RECOVERS
HUNDREDS OF
THOUSANDS OF TAXPAYER
DOLLARS EVERY YEAR.
(MM)
NOW, WE'VE LEARNED
THEY'RE CLOSE TO
GETTING NEW TOOLS THAT
COULD PUSH THAT
NUMBER INTO THE
MILLIONS.
NICOLE ESTAPHAN
BRINGS US THAT STORY-
ONLY ON EYEWITNESS
NEWS.
EVERY YEAR, THE PROVIDENCE
HOUSING AUTHORITY HELPS
PROVIDE A HOME TO 20-
THOUSAND RHODE ISLAND
FAMILIES... SENIOR CITIZENS...
AND THE DISABLED.
AND EVERY YEAR, CRIMINALS
ARE CHEATING THE SYSTEM--
STEALING YOUR TAX DOLLARS
FROM THE PEOPLE THAT
ARE CHEATING THE SYSTEM--
STEALING YOUR TAX DOLLARS
FROM THE PEOPLE THAT
REALLY NEED IT.
THAT'S WHERE THE FRAUD UNIT
COMES IN.
DESPITE HOLLYWOODS
GLAMOUROUS DEPICTION OF
INVESTIGATORS CRACKING
DOWN ON CRIME.
REAL LIFE INVESTIGATIONS...
the good old paper trail
...ARE A LITTLE DIFFERENT.
fraud has always been viewed as
a
victimless crime.
JACK COSTA IS PART OF THE
FRAUD UNIT AT THE
PROVIDENCE HOUSING
AUTHORITY.
WE'VE LEARNED THE TEAM HAS
INVESTIGATED NEARLY 700
CASES OF FRAUD SINCE 2008.
WE DUG DEEPER AND FOUND
SOME DISTURBING DETAILS. IN
ONE CASE, A MAN ALLEGEDLY
SPENT 12 YEARS CHEATING THE
SYSTEM TO THE TUNE OF 60-
THOUSAND DOLLARS.
IN ANOTHER, A WOMAN IS
CHARGED WITH FALSIFYING
DOCUMENTS FOR OVER A
DECADE... AND RECEIVING
SECTION 8 HOUSING THAT COST
TAXPAYERS THOUSANDS EACH
YEAR.
we are averaging 100 thousand
dollars every year.
WE'VE LEARNED THAT NUMBER
COULD BE ASTRONOMICALLY
HIGHER-- IN THE MILLIONS
EVEN... IF INVESTIGATORS GET
THE TOOLS TO OVERCOME A
MAJOR ROADBLOCK.
investigations have come to a
complete stop because of our
inability to get necessary
information
from other agencies.
THE TEAM OF TWO RELIES ON
MORE THAN A DOZEN OTHER
AGENICES THROUGHOUT THE
STATE FOR RECORDS THAT
HELP THEM PINPOINT FRAUD. IN
MANY CASES THOSE RECORDS
ARE UNAVAILABLE WITH THE
CURRENT SYSTEM.
What we're doing with Providence
Housing and the state of RI, is
we're
helping them share data with
each
other.
KEN BLOCK'S SOFTWARE
COMPANY IS CREATING A
COMPUTER PROGRAM THAT
WILL MAKE THOSE VITAL
RECORDS EASILY AVAILABLE TO
FRAUD INVESTIGATORS.
whenever you have people taking
advantage of the system, that
definitely removes money from
the
people who need it.
it hurts the city, it hurts the
state and
it hurts the country.
OFFICIALS TELL US THERE IS NO
SET TIMELINE FOR WHEN THIS
NEW SYSTEM WILL BE IN
PLACE...
BUT SAY SEVERAL LEGAL
HURDLES HAVE ALREADY BEEN
CLEARED.
ALL OF THIS IS BEING
IMPLIMENTED AT NO COST TO
THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND.
NE, EWN.
(SR)
NEW AT TEN ---