A Passaic County NJ social services employee was arrested in connection with the alleged theft of food stamps.

The suspect is a 61-year-old resident of Paterson, New Jersey. She was employed as a clerk with the Passaic County Board of Social Services.

According to officials, the suspect stole food stamp coupons from needy individuals. The stolen food stamps were allegedly taken from five low-income residents of Passaic County NJ and had a value of around $500.

Passaic County NJ prosecutors issued a statement about the arrest and said that the suspect committed the theft offenses between November 2015 and February 2017. Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office detectives worked with the North East Regional Office of the Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Agriculture to investigate the suspect and eventually uncovered enough evidence to place her under arrest.

The suspect was charged with multiple crimes, including theft by deception, identity theft, unauthorized use of food stamp coupons, and other fraud offenses.

After being arrested and charged, the suspect was released from police custody on her own recognizance. She will have to make an appearance in Passaic County Superior Court to address the theft and fraud charges against her.

If the suspect is convicted on the most serious criminal charges, she could potentially be sentenced to more than 15 years in NJ State Prison and fined up to $75,000.

To learn more about this case, view the NJ.com article, “County Worker Stole Food Stamps from Poor Families.”