Woman Accused Of Wrongly Obtaining More Than $31K In Public Assistance

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A 51-year-old woman is accused of receiving thousands of dollars of public assistance in Minnesota while residing in Superior, Wisconsin, according to the St. Louis County Attorney's Office.

Barbara Almeta Dixon faces six counts of theft, perjury and wrongfully obtaining assistance.

Authorities say Dixon wrongfully obtained $3,717 in assistance from the Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP), $4,354 in assistance from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and $23,664.75 in Medical Assistance between March 2014 and May 2015.

According to various records that include rental history, a Wisconsin ID card and more, Dixon allegedly applied for public assistance in Minnesota after moving to Superior. When she applied for benefits, she allegedly used a Duluth address that she hasn't lived at for nearly a year.

Authorities say she tried again to apply for benefits in June 2016. When an investigator went to the address, the owner of the property confirmed Dixon did not live there.

Dixon's whereabouts, as of Sept. 7, are unknown and a warrant has been issued for her arrest.

"Our County Board has recognized the need for more child protection workers. At the same time, our fellow citizens need to know that with the continuing encouragement of the Board, we will continue to be aggressive in assuring that only those who are eligible are receiving benefit assistance," St. Louis County Attorney Mark Rubin said.