A Fruitland Park woman has been kicked off Food Stamps and ordered to pay $7,500 restitution to the state, but will avoid prosecution on a welfare fraud charge.
Vergillian Gaddy, 35, last week in Lake County Court was allowed to enter into a pre-trial intervention contract.
Gaddy was arrested in July and accused of drawing public assistance benefits between 2016 and 2020 while she was employed at Lady Lake NH LLC earning bi-weekly wages between $880 and $1,831, according to an affidavit from the Florida Department of Financial Services Public Assistance Fraud Department. Gaddy received gross wages of more than $165,000 during that time period. She also collected $9,616 in Food Stamps and $2,791 in Medicaid benefits, according to the affidavit said. She underreported her income and received greater benefits than what she had been entitled to receive, the affidavit said.
As part of the pre-trial intervention contract, Gaddy must pay restitution in the amount of $7,500 to the Florida Department of Financial Services. She and any members of her household will be ineligible for any government food or cash assistance for at least 12 months.
The state is in agreement that Gaddy should not be prosecuted if she makes restitution and lives up to the terms of the deal.
“It has been determined that it is not in the best interest of society to obtain a conviction of guilt in your case,” the Department of Children and Family Services Access Florida Benefit Recovery said in a letter explaining the aid disqualification.