Leah Foley is showing what a difference a good U.S. Attorney can make, embarrassing Massachusetts officials by uncovering another major food assistance and benefits fraud scheme right under their noses in the Bay State.
Foley is an anomaly in Massachusetts – a Republican appointee who is willing to shake things up and take on the entrenched power structure, and is transparent and accessible.
What a contrast to Gov. Maura Healey and other Democrats who are nontransparent, accessible only to favored media and won’t challenge the state hackerama machine.
While they’re writing letters and filing frivolous lawsuits about President Trump, Foley is indicting people.
She is also a breath of fresh air compared to Rachael Rollins, the Democratic appointee U.S. attorney who was forced out of her prestigious position after a federal investigation found she tried to use her position to influence an election and lied to investigators.
Foley has found the deep blue state of Massachusetts a fertile hunting ground for her corruption investigations, dragging targets into the light and unafraid to go after high profile elected officials.
She most recently took down a crooked Boston city councilor, and former “Bostonian of the Year” Monica Cannon-Grant, who pilfered public COVID-19 relief funds to line her own pockets – but unfortunately was not sentenced to jail time by a liberal judge.
“This (Cannon-Grant) case makes clear that exploiting public trust for personal enrichment is a serious federal crime, no matter how it is packaged,” she said.
Foley has made it clear political corruption and public assistance theft are some of her top priorities.
She said this week that the $1.1 million benefits scam perpetrated by four Massachusetts men, including two Venezuelan nationals, was just a small slice of the widespread abuse in the SNAP program.
“It is no secret there is rampant fraud across this nation,” Foley said. “The charges announced today are just a snapshot of the bigger picture, not just in Massachusetts but across the country.”
“You should anticipate seeing more and more of these cases coming here in Massachusetts,” she added.
But don’t expect them to be uncovered by clueless Massachusetts authorities.
Foley is strongly disputing Healey’s claim that the state tipped off the feds to the latest food assistance fraud.
“In the past 60 days, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has charged six individuals with over $8 million in SNAP benefit fraud,” Foley told the Herald in a statement. “Yesterday, the Governor stated that these cases were referred by Massachusetts authorities to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for investigation and prosecution. That is simply inaccurate.”
The state led by Healey has long turned a blind eye to benefit abuse, which is why it’s so welcoming to illegal migrants, who are even able to get drivers’ licenses as a key form of ID. When was the last scam the state ferreted out and prosecuted?
From her federal perch, Foley has changed that.
Keep up the good work, Attorney Foley. Now take a look at Boston City Hall next.
