August 7, 2013
Police say the driver that caused a horrific crash involving a Boston Globe truck, that left the truck driver badly injured, had three Mass. EBT welfare cards when she was arrested. Furthermore, Vivencia
Bellegarde, 25, of Everett was not driving an economy car when she was driving drunk, but rather the most luxurious Cadillac model, the DTS, according to police reports. The DTS, shown in this photo from Cadillac’s media site, is one of the largest and most elegant of the modern Cadillac models equal in size and appointments to the Mercedes SL and Audi A8.
The Boston Herald reports that when police arrested Bellgrade, she mocked the police. Office Kokicinski wrote in his report “I questioned her as to why she had other peoples (sic) EBT cards and she began screaming that I was a ‘dumb (expletive)’ for paying for food when she gets it for free.” The Herald asked the Mass. department that provides the welfare cards, known as EBT cards, why the driver of an ultra-luxury car might have 3 welfare cards and the Herald reports the agency replied with a statement saying “DTA investigates every
tip that it receives from members of the public or law enforcement, and refers cases to the auditor’s Bureau of Special Investigations for further action, which has the power to investigate potential criminal matters.”
EBT stands for electronic benefit transfer. Some call the cards “food stamps” but they can be used for many things. This is not the only time recently that high-profile crimes have involved perpetrators alleged to be carrying the taxpayer-funded Mass. cards that work like debit cards allowing the users to buy all manner of goods. The Boston Marathon bombers had used the welfare cards according to reports. The man arrested for the kidnapping and murder of Amy Lord recently also had not only possessed, but sold his EBT card for cash according to police. Last year a suspect drug dealer in Haverhill Mass. was arrested after his EBT card gave away his location. Upon a search of his home the police found $15,000 in cash.
Just this summer a state representative in Mass. led an effort to learn how many people had balances over $1500 that was met with incredible push back from the state agency that issued EBT cards. Governor Patrick initially downplayed the effort, but after it was found that thousands of people in the state had balances of over $1500, he supported reform. To get the information the state Rep. was required to pay from her own pocket for the costs of the data research.
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