Wife Of Millionaire Attorney Arrested For Welfare Fraud

A Virginia woman has been arrested on charges of welfare fraud after she collected more than $100,000 in government benefits while her husband made money as an attorney in Washington, D.C.

According to WRC-TV, Helen Agbapuruonwu, 41, had been collecting welfare benefits for six years before she was caught.

The mother-of-four has been charged with four counts of welfare fraud for collecting more than $100,000 in benefits, such as food stamps and Medicaid assistance.

Helen collected benefits while her husband, Fidelis Agbapuruonwu, was earning $1.5 million per year as a lawyer for an international law firm in D.C. 

Fidelis, a Nigerian immigrant, was the recipient of the prestigious Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans in 2001, which helped him pay for his time in law school. 

Court officials say that they believe following his wife’s arrest that Fidelis has “fled the country and is somewhere in Africa.”

“It’s a lot of money, and it is money that is intended for those who are truly in need, who are low income and really need the government’s assistance,” said Ashley Savage of the Arlington County Police. 

Savage said she and her fellow officers hopes that Helen’s arrest will serve as a deterrent for anyone who may try to cheat the welfare system.

“We hope it sends a message that if you are taking a public assistance it’s truly intended for those in need, and we’re committed to ensuring those who need the most help receive it,” she said. 

Fidelis’ LinkedIn Page says that he works for the Washington, D.C. law firm, Mayer Brown, though the firm says that he no longer works for them.

According to Above the Law, Fidelis used the Soros Fellowship to fund his education at Ohio State Law, from which he graduated in 2002.

Political commentator Ann Coulter commented on the case of fraud. She wrote on her Twitter page, “Immigrants help the economy! Helen Agbapuruonwu stole $100k from food stamps & Medicaid.”

Coulter received a number responses to her tweet about the story.

“Can you imagine the saving to taxpayers if rampant welfare fraud was cleaned up,” one user wrote.

“As much as I condemn this as a Nigerian, I must say that this does not represent all of us!” Another user replied. 

Sources: WRC-TV, Above the Law, Twitter / Photo Credit: WRC-TV via AskKissy