WASHINGTON (AFP) ? The US government sent checks by mistake to 1,700 inmates around the country as part of efforts to jump-start the crisis-hit American economy, officials said Thursday.
The prisoners "received the economic recovery payment because our records did not accurately reflect that they were in prison," said Social Security Administration spokesman Dan Moraski.
The checks were for an average of about 250 dollars, meaning the mistake cost the government around 425,000 dollars.
A total of 3,900 inmates received checks under President Barack Obama's stimulus plan earlier this year, but 2,200 were entitled to receive them as they were not incarcerated when lawmakers approved the payments, distributed to some 52 million people.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090827/od_afp/financeeconomyusprisonoffbeat
No comments:
Post a Comment