Woman collected $145,000 in jobless benefits using names of death row inmates Scott Peterson, Cary Stayner, and Steven Avery on death row Scott Peterson (top right) was convicted in 1989 of abducting his young daughter in 1989 Cary Stayner (bottom right) was convicted in 1991 of the same crime Steven Avery (bottom left) was convicted in 1995 of the exact same crime
A lawsuit has been filed today on behalf of two Wisconsin applicants in the state’s welfare program who were disqualified for their names because of their participation in the state’s death row inmate program, according to a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel report.
Court documents show that a federal magistrate judge who oversees the state’s welfare program in Milwaukee revoked a woman’s $145,000 welfare benefits based upon her participation in a program that disqualifies welfare recipients for their participation in state capital punishment.
Included in the filing are a sworn letter from the woman’s lawyer and an affidavit verifying the woman’s participation in the death row inmate program.
The woman, who did not wish to be identified by name, was disqualified based on her participation in the state’s death row inmate program during the years 2000 and 2001. She was allowed to apply twice for re-consideration in 2005 before she was denied re-consideration in 2007.
The woman’s lawyer requested a hearing within two years of the date of her application.
A separate affidavit was submitted in the court’s records that verified that the woman applied for and was approved for welfare benefits in each of the years 2000 through 2005.
When the woman began receiving welfare benefits after her participation in the death row inmate program, the federal state benefits department began an investigation to determine whether her welfare benefits would be forfeited for participation in the death penalty program.
State records show that the agency did not disclose records regarding the woman’s participation in the death row inmate program to the federal government until after the lawsuit was filed today. The woman’s state benefits agency responded to the federal government’s request for the records by stating that the records were not available because they were exempt from disclosure.
According to the affidavit