NJ state worker goes to prison for stealing welfare

TRENTON — A former state worker who falsified her employment records so she could improperly collect more than $82,000 in government assistance benefits is now headed to state prison.

Tonia Ramaza-Williams received a three-year sentence on Friday. The 40-year-old Willingboro resident also must pay $82,769 in restitution.

Ramaza-Williams had pleaded guilty last November to theft by unlawful taking. She admitted using her job as head clerk at a state's Children and Families Department office in Mercer County to submit fraudulent documents supporting claims for the benefits from 2009-2013.

Authorities say Ramaza-Williams earned too much money to qualify for the benefits. So she falsified several documents so she could receive aid from various programs.

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