Woman Given 2-Year Term for Welfare Fraud

A Burbank woman was sentenced Tuesday to two years in prison and ordered to repay nearly $164,000 she took in what prosecutors say may be the largest welfare fraud in county history.

Corrie Mae Grayson, 29, had pleaded guilty to one count of grand theft in exchange for the prosecutors dropping six counts of welfare fraud and six counts of perjury. She faced a sentence of up to 49 years in prison if she had been convicted on all counts.

Although Grayson was ordered to repay the $163,797 she collected over seven years using seven aliases, including Corrie Mae Moorehead, Deputy Public Defender Steven Schoenfield said Grayson does not face additional prison time if she cannot pay back the money. Unlike many other cases of welfare fraud in which phony applicants use the money for drugs or to support an upscale lifestyle, investigators said Grayson apparently used the welfare payments and food stamps to support her family.