Bilbray Calls for Probe of Welfare Fraud Accusations : Corruption: Official wants state and federal agents to investigate charges of wrongdoing by county employees.

San Diego County Supervisor Brian Bilbray said Monday that he wants state and federal officials to investigate allegations of corruption and other illegalities by employees in the county Department of Social Services’ welfare office.

Bilbray said he would ask other supervisors to support his request for the state and federal inquiries at the board’s meeting Jan. 21. In a three-page letter to other supervisors, Bilbray said he wants the state attorney general’s office and the U.S. Inspector General for Health and Human Services to investigate the charges.

A committee of the county grand jury is already investigating accusations that several welfare department officials and fraud investigators covered up some employee fraud cases and failed to prosecute others.

The allegations of wrongdoing were brought to the grand jury’s attention by David Sossaman, a fraud investigator with the county Department of Social Services, and other current and former employees who have also testified before the panel.

On Monday, Bilbray said his call for the other investigations was prompted in part by Sossaman’s allegations “that welfare fraud was rampant within the ranks of the DSS.” In addition, Bilbray’s letter alludes to Sossaman’s allegations of corruption among welfare fraud investigators employed by the district attorney and the Department of Social Services.

Officials in both the district attorney’s office and the Department of Social Services have denied corruption among the investigators. District attorney spokesman Steve Casey also denied allegations by Sossaman that district attorney investigator Jonas Pumphrey has singled him out for retribution.

Sossaman charged that Pumphrey threatened him because he told the grand jury that Pumphrey was involved in covering up some cases of employee fraud.

Casey and other district attorney officials have defended Pumphrey against the allegations and noted that Pumphrey was the lead investigator in a recent welfare fraud case that resulted in the arrests of 20 suspects, including five former county Department of Social Services employees, for stealing up to $1 million in welfare funds.

However, Bilbray asked for the state and federal investigations because he is “concerned about the credibility of the county welfare process.”

“When you raise these types of issues, they have to be answered one way or another,” Bilbray said. “Sossaman has raised some questions, and we have had problems in that department before, which the district attorney identified.”

His call for the additional investigations is “in no way supporting or justifying the claims” of corruption and malfeasance raised by witnesses who testified before the grand jury committee, Bilbray said.

Besides the investigations, Bilbray wants the county’s chief administrative officer to review the operating procedures of the Department of Social Services’ welfare fraud investigations unit and recommend changes “to ensure tax dollars are not illegally and wastefully used.”