Mother/daughter charged for wrongfully receiving assistance

A mother and daughter face multiple felony charges for allegations they continued to receive public assistance from Nicollet County after they had received a significant inheritance through life insurance proceeds.
Deborah A. Henson, 53, of North Mankato has been charged with two felony counts of wrongfully obtaining assistance (greater than $5,000), one felony count of wrongfully obtaining assistance (less than $5,000) and two felony counts of perjury.
Two of the wrongfully obtaining assistance charges carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine while the other three felony charges carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Henson’s daughter, Tacara T. King, 21, of North Mankato has been charged with two felony counts of aiding and abetting wrongfully obtaining assistance (greater than $5,000) and one felony count of aiding and abetting wrongfully obtaining assistance.
The maximum penalty for the first two felony charges is 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine and it is five years in prison and a $10,000 fine for the third charge.
Both are scheduled to make their first court appearances on February 21.
Court documents show that on May 24, 2011, a Nicollet County Social Services case worker received information that Henson had inherited a substantial amount of money from a life insurance policy and had failed to report it.
When investigators spoke with Henson she confirmed that she had received $400,000 in death benefits after he son had passed away in May 2009. She added that she had put a majority of those proceeds into a checking account in her daughter’s (King’s) name and King would write out checks from that account to pay Henson’s bills.
Henson said she had used $100,000 of the proceeds to pay off her mother’s mortgage along with $39,000 to buy a Chevy Avalanche.
She also said while she signed all of the documents necessary to receive assistance that it was King who had filled out all the forms for her.
A subsequent investigation determined that from October 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011, Henson had applied for and received $10,857 in medical assistance benefits and $1,827 in general assistance benefits (total of $12,684).
During the original application process as well as in the six-month and 12-month reviews Henson had listed King as a member of her household. She also had answered “no”, in both the six-month and 12-month reviews, to the question, “Does anyone (in your household) have cash, a savings account or certificate of deposit?”
Both said they were unaware they had to report the life insurance benefit they had received. Henson did tell investigators she would be willing to pay back any assistance she had received.