Jonathan Ambarian

HELENA (KPAX) — Montana leaders have received a federal grant that they say will give them more tools for detecting fraud in applications for public benefits.

The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services is receiving $424,388 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. They’ll use it to set up a system that uses technology to identify potentially fraudulent online applications.

“All states across the U.S are reporting an uptick of online fraud, and this is going to give Montana the opportunity to review Montana’s standing with that,” said Heather Smith, DPHHS’ Program Compliance Bureau chief.

The federal grant is focused on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP – commonly known as “food stamps.” However, Montana has a single assistance application that covers SNAP, the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families or TANF program, Medicaid eligibility and the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, so the new system will also affect those programs.

DPHHS says some examples of fraud in these programs could include applicants not reporting all members of their household, not reporting their income has increased or continuing to receive benefits after moving out of state.

Smith said the new system will flag indicators that a case may have a high probability of fraud. For example, that would include applications from people living outside Montana and a high number of applications that come from the same computer or use the same phone number.

“Digital transactions are becoming so prevalent in everyday life – you know, everyone seems to have a cell phone, text message, email,” she said. “We’re submitting all sorts of applications and information online, purchasing online, and the digital information is going to be very important for us.”

Smith said the new technology will only tell DPHHS they may need to look further at a case, and they’ll investigate further before taking action. She acknowledged there could be false positives, like someone applying from a relative’s computer or many people using a computer at the library because they don’t have another way to access the internet.

DPHHS will spend the next few months putting together and testing the system, with hopes of implementing it by summer of 2025.

“It will not affect the user at all; they won’t see any different steps,” said Smith. “It’ll just be our ability to capture and utilize that data as it comes in.”

Smith said there is fraud in these programs, though she said she couldn’t give an estimate of how prevalent it is.

“For us, any amount is a high amount,” she said.

She said applying for this grant was part of DPHHS’ commitment to be good stewards of taxpayers’ money.

The department said in a statement announcing the grant that they received 1,528 referrals for potential fraud during the 2024 fiscal year, with the vast majority being for SNAP eligibility.

They said 241 people were disqualified from SNAP for program violations. DPHHS reported 1,625 referrals and 280 SNAP disqualifications in the 2023 fiscal year, and 2,035 referrals and 320 disqualifications in 2022.

BILLINGS — Daniel M. Dreamer of Crow Agency is under federal investigation after pleading guilty to killing his aunt and assaulting his grandmother as she tried to stop the attack this week, according to tribal authorities.

Montana man pleads guilty to deliberate homicide, assault, and elder abuse

Dreamer, 24 years old, pleaded guilty on Wednesday, November 27, 2024, in Crow Tribal Court to charges of deliberate homicide, aggravated assault, and elder abuse, according to tribal court documents.

He is currently being held at the Rocky Mountain Detention Center in Hardin.

According to Crow Tribal Court documents, Dreamer allegedly stabbed his aunt 22 times with a butterfly knife on Tuesday at a residence on Dakake Street in Crow Agency.

His 86-year-old grandmother tried to stop the assault, and Dreamer allegedly pushed her to the ground, according to court documents.

She was taken to a hospital with a laceration to her collar bone and an injury to her wrist that appeared to be a stab wound, according to court documents.

Family members confirmed to MTN the aunt’s name, Jonni Dreamer, and the grandmother’s name, Deanne Dreamer.

Daniel was sentenced Wednesday by Crow Tribal Court to two-and-a-half years in jail. Tribal courts are severely limited in their authority to impose harsher punishments for crimes such as homicide.

MMIP-Billings noted on Facebook regarding an unrelated case several weeks ago: “Tribal governments have limited sentencing abilities even in homicide cases. It’s one of the many reasons why we raise awareness for the Missing & Murdered Indigenous Peoples Movement. There’s often minimal justice or no justice at all. Major crimes like homicides are under federal jurisdiction.”

Crow Tribal prosecutor David Sibley confirmed to MTN News that the FBI is investigating to determine if federal charges will be filed.

BOZEMAN, Mont. — A self-described white supremacist charged with killing a man in a tent in southwestern Montana has pleaded not guilty to deliberate homicide and claims self-defense, while investigators say there are inconsistencies in the defendant’s story.

Daren Christopher Abbey, 41, told District Court Judge Peter Ohman on Tuesday: “I definitely plead not guilty. Dustin Kjersem tried to kill me,” the Bozeman Daily Chronicle reported. He also pleaded not guilty to tampering with evidence.

Kjersem’s death in October was initially reported as a bear attack after his girlfriend found his body in a tent south of Bozeman near Big Sky on Oct. 12.

Investigators found shot glasses and beer cans in the tent that suggested someone else had been with Kjersem on Oct. 10. DNA tests on a beer can matched two people in the state’s criminal database, Daren Abbey and someone believed to be Abbey’s twin brother, court records say. The brother was ruled out because he was serving a prison sentence.

Abbey told investigators that Kjersem, 35, threatened him and his dog with a gun and he attacked Kjersem, first with a block of wood and then by stabbing him in the neck with a screwdriver. Abbey initially failed to tell investigators he used an axe in the attack as well, court records say. He also told officers he found the axe both inside and outside the tent. He told officers he rinsed the axe and screwdriver off in the creek, court records say.

Abbey said he did not report the fight because he had a felony record. He acknowledged taking a cooler of beer and guns from the crime scene and then returning the next day to look for a beanie he believed he might have left there. He told investigators he also took two cellphones and items out of Kjersem’s truck, charging documents say.

An inmate information document released by Gallatin County says Abbey listed an organizational affiliation with white supremacists, while state Department of Corrections records say his tattoos include an iron cross with a swastika.

Abbey is jailed with his bail set at $1.5 million.