A former Lenoir County social services case worker has been sentenced to six years in federal prison after prosecutors said he used his job access to steal more than $102,000 from SNAP benefit accounts.
Deshaune White, a Wayne County man, received 72 months in prison, six months of home confinement, and three years of supervised release, according to WITN.
White had previously pleaded guilty to theft of government property. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina said he must also pay a forfeiture money judgment of $102,733.80.
The case was an insider fraud scheme, not a fake-benefits application from outside the system. Prosecutors said White used his position and privileges as a Lenoir County Social Services case worker to access SNAP accounts belonging to qualified individuals and convert government funds for his own benefit.
The Fraud Ran While He Worked As A Case Worker
Federal prosecutors said the scheme involved Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and managed through state and county social services offices.
According to the Justice Department’s earlier guilty-plea announcement, White used his case worker access between June 2022 and January 2024.
Prosecutors said he unlawfully accessed SNAP accounts of qualified recipients and converted $102,733.80 in government funds for his own personal benefit and use.
The same amount appears in the forfeiture money judgment ordered at sentencing.
Federal Officials Called It An Abuse Of Public Trust
USDA Inspector General John Walk described the conduct as “an unconscionable betrayal of the public trust,” saying a county employee responsible for administering federal food assistance exploited privileged access to recipient information.
U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle announced the sentence after Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II sentenced White.
The investigation was handled by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General and the Lenoir County Sheriff’s Office.
The federal case number is 4:25-CR-48-M in the Eastern District of North Carolina.
The Sentence Closes The Federal Case
White pleaded guilty in March. At that time, prosecutors said he faced up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a forfeiture money judgment tied to the stolen funds.
The sentence now adds prison time, home confinement, supervised release, and the $102,733.80 money judgment.
The public releases do not name the SNAP recipients whose accounts were accessed, and they do not say whether any individual recipient went without benefits because of White’s conduct.