State employee accused of FoodShare theft; sentenced to probation
Iesha Frazier-Christie
MILWAUKEE - A Milwaukee County judge sentenced Iesha Frazier-Christie in June to two-and-a-half years of probation in connection with thefts from Wisconsin's FoodShare benefits program.
Frazier-Christie was initially charged with four felony counts. She pleaded guilty in June to two of those counts – misconduct in office and theft. The other two counts were dismissed and read into the court record for the purposes of sentencing.
Case details
What we know:
Wisconsin's FoodShare program is designed to stop hunger, giving people who don't have a lot of money, or have limited incomes, to get by.
In October 2022, a client contacted the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS). He and his wife tried to buy food, but couldn't. Court filings say investigators quickly found out where that money went and to whom.
FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android
Back on Sept. 28, 2022, prosecutors say Iesha Frazier-Christie was working at the Marcia P. Coggs Human Services Building. She has worked for the Wisconsin DHS since March of that year, handling case management for public assistance programs, like FoodShare.
DHS records showed an employee accessed the couple's account. The next day, a phone call was placed to Quest Card customer service, and the PIN was changed. The call was made from a number that was in contact with a phone number used by Frazier-Christie for her own public assistance account.
Records show purchases began immediately. Hundreds of dollars of purchases were made at Walmart. Some were picked up at the store on East Capitol Drive.
SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News
In the span of just several hours that one day, investigators say there were 16 fraudulent purchases totaling more than $7,200, as well as more than $350 through Amazon. Even with more than $900 in returned transactions, prosecutors say Frazier-Christie, as well as uncharged co-conspirators, stole more than $6,600 from the couple.
The Source: The information in this post was provided by Wisconsin Circuit Court Access as well as the criminal complaint associated with this case.