Beaufort County couple charged with stealing $20K in food stamp benefits
A husband and wife from Beaufort County have been charged with knowingly receiving over $20,000 in fraudulent food stamp benefits over a 4-year period, according to the South Carolina Department of Social Services.
Dennis Lee Phillips, 42, of Beaufort, and Jennifer Nichole Phillips, 44, were each charged March 31 with a felony count of fraudulent acquisition or use of food stamps. The offense is punishable by up to 10 years in prison or a maximum fine of $5,000.
Arrest warrants from the DSS say Daniel Phillips wrongly received $20,369 in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits after failing to report his wife and her income in the couple’s “household composition” forms in 2018 and 2019.
Jennifer Phillips, who during that period worked for three health care and assisted living companies around the Bluffton area, allegedly “assisted” her husband in the reporting errors, according to the warrants.
The couple received the fraudulent benefits between May 2018 and September 2022, according to the DSS.
Shortly after their March 31 arrests, each defendant was released from the Beaufort County jail on a $25,000 personal recognizance bond, meaning they would not be required to pay the amount unless they violated court conditions.
A Beaufort County woman was ordered to pay restitution earlier this year after pleading guilty to food stamp fraud.
Reports of program fraud can be made to the DSS Office of Inspector General at dss.sc.gov/about/fraud or by calling 1-800-694-8518.
