Erie County District Attorney Michael J. Keane announces that Carmella Miller, 40, of Buffalo, was sentenced this afternoon before State Supreme Court Justice Debra Givens to five years of probation. As a conditions of her sentence, Miller was ordered to perform 200 hours of community service and pay full restitution to Erie County Department of Social Services.
Between on or about Thursday, March 1, 2018, through Saturday, February 29, 2020, the defendant knowingly and intentionally committed a welfare fraud act by concealing her marriage, cohabitation and her spouse’s income to fraudulently obtain Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. During the span of nearly four years, the defendant fraudulently obtained a total of $6,406 in public assistance benefits that she was not entitled to receive by falsifying her re-certification applications with the Erie County Department of Social Services.
On November 12, 2024, Judge Givens found Miller guilty of one count of Grand Larceny in the Third Degree and one count of Welfare Fraud in the Third Degree (Class “D” felonies), convicting the defendant of all counts in the indictment. Judge Givens rendered her decision following a one and half-day, non-jury trial, which was held in October 2024.
“This public assistance benefit program is reserved for low-income individuals and families who truly need help paying for food and other basic needs. I want to thank the Office of the New York State Inspector General and Erie County Department of Social Services for their work in this investigation. Together, we will continue to hold those who fraudulently obtain these benefits accountable,” said Erie County District Attorney Mike Keane.
“Fraud undermines the core purpose of programs like SNAP and Social Security, which are essential lifelines for vulnerable New Yorkers,” said New York State Inspector General Lucy Lang. “Today’s sentencing reinforces our commitment to protecting these critical public assistance programs and ensuring they remain available to those who genuinely need them.”
DA Keane commends the Offices of the New York State Inspector General, Erie County Department of Social Services, and Confidential Criminal Investigator Natalie Perez for their work in this investigation.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Norvella C. Pendergrass of the Special Investigations and Prosecutions Bureau.