By Christal Hayes
Orlando Sentinel
ORLANDO — A former Central Florida corrections officer was arrested this week, accused of stealing dozens of inmates’ identities in a scheme to fraudulently obtain food-stamp benefits, court records show.
Prosecutors allege Stacy Brewer stole personal information from more than 30 inmates while she was working as a corrections officer at the Central Florida Reception Center, a 1,659-inmate correctional facility 10 miles east of Orlando International Airport.
Her longtime boyfriend reported her to authorities after the pair spilt up in 2012. He told officials that Brewer brought home lists of inmates’ information on a daily basis in 2011, records show.
He told officials she tried to hide what she was up to when claiming the benefits on her computer.
When he asked about what she was doing, Brewer told him “not to worry and she was doing it for them,” court records show.
Investigators said as her boyfriend was moving out of their home, he grabbed some paperwork and fraudulent food-stamp cards and later reported the alleged scheme to authorities.
Authorities said the list contained inmates’ names, dates of birth and Social Security numbers for current and former inmates.
Investigators said the food-stamp benefits were filed using fake addresses, including at least one home that was abandoned.
The Florida Department of Children & Families issued food stamps to many of the inmates and later revoked them after learning the applicant was incarcerated, records show.
Brewer told investigators during an interview she learned of the scheme from others in her neighborhood and admitted she got involved with it in January 2011, court records show.
She told investigators she collected information from random inmates and took home a stack of papers she’d found in a bin at the prison, court records show.
Officials say Brewer estimated she used the information to fill 10 to 20 fraudulent food-stamp applications.
Investigators say the information was also used to file phony income tax refunds, but Brewer denied using the information to do this. She told officials she gave information on about 20 inmates to a neighbor who used it to also apply for food stamps and may have filed tax refunds.
Brewer was fired from the Florida Department of Corrections in October 2012 for a “moral character violation,” a spokesman said.
A judge issued a warrant for Brewer’s arrest in December. She was arrested Tuesday and is facing a scheme to defraud charge.
Copyright 2016 The Orlando Sentinel