Chicken Wing Giveaway Nabs Welfare Cheats
A group of 158 government freeloadersÂ found their gooses cooked, when instead of receiving free chicken wings from the USDA, they were arrested and charged with food stamp fraud. It was all part of a Washington DC based FBI sting operation dubbed âProject Wingman,â set up to target welfare cheats and food stamp scammers whose numbers have ballooned duringÂ the Obama administration. Prize vouchersÂ inviting crooks to a complimentary âWing Dingâ buffet were mailedÂ to over 500 Washington DC area residents suspected of using phony documentation to steal from taxpayers. The vouchers were redeemable for a 10 pound bag of frozen wings. âThese criminals basically turned themselves in,â said Det. John Francis Smith of the FBI. When suspects arrived at the redemption center, outfitted to look like a fast food restaurant, they were greeted by undercover officer Adam Byrd â dressed in a chicken suit â who asked if they were here for the âWing Ding.â Byrd collected the redemption vouchers, and government eligibility cards were compared againstÂ a list of bogus documents. âWe didnât let on there was any problem,â said Smith. We had big smiles on our faces when we told themÂ to stepÂ back into the Wing Ding Lounge to enjoy the buffet.â The âloungeâ was a mobile holding pen, complete with steam tables andÂ a chef, also an undercover officer. While enjoying their free samples, the spongers were arrested and charged with government fraud, some with their mouths full. Reporter Philip Gallus, posing as a prize winner, spoke toÂ one scammer who told him how easy it is these days to cheat the government. âHe said there were hundreds ofÂ loopholes and itâs easy now withÂ Obama who he called âSugar Daddy President.â This guy had a dozenÂ different IDs and said he could teachÂ me how to beat the system. He wanted to take me under his wing. I felt like I was in a bad â70âs movie,â said Gallus. In the age of Obama phones and out-of-controlÂ government handouts, maybe weâre all in a bad 70âs movie. The reign ofÂ food stamp kings and queens is on the rise. The drop in criminal prosecutions ordered by ObamaÂ means the problem willÂ worsen before it improves. âItâs like having Jimmy Carter back in the White House,â said Gallus. âMy parents told me how bad things were back then, and now they say things are worse. I guess itâs going to be even tougherÂ for my kids,â he added.