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Atlantic County Worker Charged With Stealing EBT Card: Prosecutor

Three people including an Atlantic County public employee were indicted on multiple counts for their roles in the theft and unauthorized use of an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card, authorities said.

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Photo Credit: Cecilia Levine

Corie M. Pittman was indicted by an Atlantic County grand jury on several counts alleging second-degree official misconduct and third-degree theft, according to the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office. Kelly N. Pittman and Robert D. Swaggerty were indicted for second-degree conspiracy to commit official misconduct and third-degree theft, the prosecutor said.

In June of 2022, an eligible local resident received her EBT card in the mail. The receipt for the card indicated there was approximately $1,100 in the account. However, when the resident attempted to use the card she was informed it contained only approximately $5. The resident subsequently reported the apparent theft to law enforcement who began an investigation.

At the time of the theft, Corie Pittman, 42, of Absecon, was employed by the Atlantic County Department of Family and Community Development. Part of her responsibilities included processing and distributing EBT cards to eligible beneficiaries. On June 2, 2022, video surveillance showed Pittman processing the subject EBT card and placing it in an envelope, according to the Atlantic County prosecutor. Later video footage showed her returning an empty envelope.

Additional evidence showed that Kelly N. Pittman, 41, of Egg Harbor Township, who is Corie Pittman’s sister, attempted to sell the EBT card on June 4, 2022, the prosecutor said. Kelly Pittman was unsuccessful in making the transaction.

Surveillance and billing records from the same day showed Kelly Pittman and Robert Swaggerty, 41, of Pleasantville making several purchases at the Wal-Mart and ShopRite stores in Hammonton Township, the prosecutor said. Those unauthorized purchases totaled nearly $1100 which left approximately $5 remaining on the EBT card account, the prosecutor said.

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