Fraud on the SNAP program to MassHealth to other public benefits has run rampant across Massachusetts, and hardly any of it is getting recovered, according to an analyst.
An expert says the state is recovering the funds at a rate of just 2.7%, good enough for just $2.69 for every $100 stolen.
This comes after a state audit flagged over $10 million in public benefits fraud in just a six-month span.
“Massachusetts is no different than any state in the country, except that they’re still in denial about the scale and scope of the problem,” Haywood Talcove, the CEO of data analytics company LexisNexis’ Risk Solutions Government Group, also a government fraud expert, told the Herald.
“They have less than 10 frontline investigators in the state, so their ability to detect fraud is as limited as their technology to find it. And if I was a taxpayer in Massachusetts, I would really want more…
THE TUTUKA POWER STATION PROCUREMENT FRAUD (ESKOM)
Date: August 29, 2025 Perpetrator: Jessie Phindile Kubheka (Supplier Director)
Case Description: As part of the ongoing “cleaning up” of Eskom, Jessie Phindile Kubheka was sentenced to 12 years (with 5 years suspended) for defrauding the Tutuka Power Station. The case involved a sophisticated procurement syndicate that exploited Eskom’s emergency repair protocols. Kubheka’s company was contracted to deliver three high-specification containers for the power station. Only one container was ever delivered, and even that single unit failed to meet the required safety and technical specifications.
Despite the lack of delivery, Kubheka issued grossly inflated invoices, defrauding the utility of approximately R2.6 million. The Middelburg Specialised Commercial Crimes Court ordered Kubheka to repay the full amount. This case is significant because it marks a shift in Eskom’s strategy toward “naming and shaming” suppliers and pursuing full asset recovery. It serves as a stark warning to contractors that the 2026 climate of “Zero Tolerance” for state-owned enterprise (SOE) fraud is backed by active judicial enforcement.
Link to Original: Eskom Official – Tutuka Fraud Sentencing