FDLE Arrests Five in Scheme to Steal Child Support Funds

Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Jul 16, 2007

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has arrested five people involved in a scheme to divert money from a child support fund.  An employee of a company sub-contracted by the Department of Revenue (DOR) to manage and disburse the funds has been identified as the mastermind behind the scheme which used women already receiving child support as co-conspirators.

In May, DOR’s Office of Inspector General found suspicious disbursements from an account that holds child support payments that for various reasons have gone unclaimed.  FDLE was asked to investigate what appeared to be criminal diversion of funds from the account.  That investigation led to Anthony Purvis, an employee of People Really Working Together (PRWT), a firm sub-contracted to manage child support payments for the Department of Revenue. 

The investigation also identified four women as recipients of money paid out from the account after Purvis allegedly solicited them to participate in the scheme.  The women were already receiving child support payments legitimately and had accounts through which the money could be routed. 

Because of his job with PRWT, Purvis knew how to initiate a process to move money from the account to someone who was pre-authorized to receive child support through DOR.  All he needed was willing participants to receive the checks then split the money with Purvis.   Altogether, more than $20,000 in illegal payments was made.