Sheriff Kevin J. McConville reports the arrest of a Town of Kent resident for welfare fraud.
In March of 2024, Putnam County Department of Social Services personnel advised Sheriff's Office investigators that one of their clients appeared to be claiming benefits for rent payments over a three-year period when they were not entitled to them.
Investigators worked with members of the Putnam County District Attorney's Office and Social Services to gather evidence and put together a case. On June 27, 2024, 35-year-old Kimberly Nieves turned herself in and was charged with one count of Welfare Fraud in the 3rd degree, a class D felony, and twelve counts of Offering a False Instrument for Filing, an E felony. It is alleged that she obtained over $31,000 in benefits that she was not entitled to.
Nieves was arraigned before the Honorable Judge Douchkoff in the Town of Kent Court and was released pending a future court date.
