D.C. Government Employee Charged With Submitting False Documentation Claiming District Residency to Obtain Benefits

WASHINGTON - A Social Services Representative with the District of Columbia Department of Human Services (DHS), has been charged with falsely claiming District of Columbia residency to obtain D.C. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Medicaid benefits, and free tuition for her two children to attend a D.C. Public Charter School.

The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Daniel W. Lucas, Inspector General for the District of Columbia, and Karl A. Racine, Attorney General for the District of Columbia. This matter was initially discovered by the D.C. Department of Human Services and promptly referred to the D.C. Office of the Inspector General for investigation.

Michia Pardlow, 29, of Arlington, Virginia, was charged in a criminal complaint filed in the Superior Court for the District of Columbia with first-degree fraud, first-degree theft, and false statements in connection with applying for and obtaining District of Columbia resident benefits. She was arrested on Nov. 22, 2022, made her initial court appearance later that day, and was released pending trial.

According to court documents, Pardlow, from 2016 through at least 2019, was a resident of Arlington, Virginia. The charging documents allege that she submitted signed applications, residency verification forms, and other documents to the District of Columbia's Department of Human Services and Public Charter School Board claiming and verifying District residency.

As a result, the documents allege, Pardlow was able to obtain District benefits to which she was not entitled. Non-District residents are ineligible to receive District SNAP, TANF, and Medicaid benefits. Non-District residents who enroll their dependents in D.C. schools must apply as a non-resident and pay non-resident tuition. The charging documents allege that she received more than $149,000 in fraudulent benefits.

A complaint is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. Every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.

This case is being investigated by the Criminal Investigations Unit of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia and the D.C. Office of the Inspector General. The case is being jointly prosecuted by the Major Crimes Section of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia and the Public Corruption Section of the D.C. Office of the Attorney General.