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Former Batavia resident sent to prison for filing false DSS claims

By Howard B. Owens

A former Batavia resident who admitted to filing a false social services claim was sentenced in Genesee County Court today to one-and-a-half to three years in state prison.

Michael Schramm, 36, entered a guilty plea July 13 to offering a false instrument for filing.

He was arrested in May along with his wife, Deborah Schramm, and accused of submitting claim forms with DSS for temporary assistance and food stamps.

As part of his sentence, Schramm must repay the county $17,026.39.

Schramm failed to report full-time employment at a farm in Niagara County.

He will be disqualified from receiving temporary assistance and food stamps in the future.

Deborah Schramm is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 10.

Doug Yeomans

So, he gets a one-and-a-half to three years free ride for getting a free ride. Something is so ironic about that. He should've gotten one-and-a-half to three years community service on top of working full time with full restitution plus interest to be paid during that sentence. Some sentences make no sense to me at all.

Sep 7, 2012, 4:30pm Permalink
robin neyman

Doug- I so agree with you!!! There are some people who really could use help and are denied every single day!!! It took them that long to figure this out? 17,000 dollars, really?? What a system we have. People go there and are completely honest and those are the ones who get denied!!!! Go figure!!!

Sep 7, 2012, 4:45pm Permalink

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