Orange County Public Schools employee accused of food stamp fraud

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — An Orange County School District employee is accused of stealing taxpayer dollars in the form of food stamp fraud.

Cheryl Ham was arrested Wednesday at the district’s northeast area maintenance center, where she works as a customer service representative.

A spokesperson for the district said Ham and her husband are district employees, and investigators said an omission about her husband’s job was the basis for taking thousands of assistance dollars for which the couple didn't qualify.

Her husband is a special-needs varying exceptionalities teacher.

Between June 2013 and December 2014, investigators said the two made more than $100,000 in combined salaries.

State investigators said she allegedly manipulated Florida’s SNAP system by only reporting her income and not her husband’s.

It’s not known if an internal investigation into Ham is underway.

Cox Media Group