Colorado City Polygamists Were Rent-Seeking Layabouts
This, aside from the allegations of child endangerment, seems like more than enough reason to have raided that compound.
These men slowly gained the upper hand within the inner workings of the FLDS as they sought ever more inventive ways to access state and federal dollars. . . .
The practice reportedly spread quickly as it gained acceptance among the FLDS faithful, which happened to coincide with the explosive growth of state and federal assistance programs. Multiple wives, who were married in church, but not in the eyes of the law, began applying for state assistance. Food Stamps and federal programs like WIC, which provide nutritional assistance to low-income women and children, were also tapped. So were healthcare dollars through Arizona’s AHCCCS program, which provides most of the medical insurance for residents in Colorado City, AZ. Last year over 4,000 residents were enrolled, reportedly costing the state about $8 million a year. . . .
Courier notes that about half of the fundamentalists in Colorado City receive food stamps, compared to five percent statewide, costing just over $3 million a year.
The report continues, noting that a mere five years ago there were no Colorado City children getting child care assistance, but last year the number stood at about 200—which cost the state another $600,000. These benefits can reportedly be paid to care-providers who are related to the children, so sometimes one wife can get paid for taking care of another wife’s kids.
When you consider that this same polygamist sect owned businesses that handled multi-million dollar contracts you begin to wonder why they needed to defraud the government in this manner.
