corporate

news/blog

English

INTAKER_CHAT_WIDGET_coloradolegaldefensegroup

ICW_UniqueVisit_ID

_ga_WHCDPBC5NN

__cf_bm

INTAKER_CHAT_WIDGET__landing

ICW_UniqueVisit

INTAKER_CHAT_WIDGET__Referr

intaker-widget-show-invitation-alert

The domain name 'cldg.legal' uses the .legal top-level domain with no subdomain. Count 4 characters in 'cldg' holding 0 vowels versus 4 consonants. Breaking it apart gives 3 words: cl, d, g. Average segment length settles at one character. No strong language cues emerged from the frequency lists.

e_search_props

_wpcf7

_wpcf7_version

_wpcf7_locale

_wpcf7_unit_tag

_wpcf7_container_post

_wpcf7_posted_data_hash

your-name

your-phone

your-email

your-website

your-city

your-message

file-pictures

file-pictures2

file-pictures3

file-pictures4

file-pictures5

sms-consent[]

html/52/fd/52fd5448-b9b0-4431-b39e-515863368648.html.gz

script-src 'unsafe-eval' 'self' 'unsafe-inline' https://www.google.com https://apis.google.com https://ssl.gstatic.com https://www.gstatic.com https://www.googletagmanager.com https://www.google-analytics.com https://*.youtube.com https://*.google.com https://*.gstatic.com https://youtube.com https://www.youtube.com https://google.com https://*.doubleclick.net https://*.googleapis.com https://www.googleadservices.com https://tpc.googlesyndication.com https://www.youtubekids.com https://www.youtube-nocookie.com https://www.youtubeeducation.com https://www-onepick-opensocial.googleusercontent.com;report-uri https://csp.withgoogle.com/csp/youtube_main/allowlist
require-trusted-types-for 'script'
base-uri 'self';object-src 'none';script-src 'report-sample' 'nonce-mw4lVlc1GKlP4ugwpcLInw' 'unsafe-inline' 'strict-dynamic' https: http: 'unsafe-eval';report-uri https://csp.withgoogle.com/csp/youtube_main/strict

require-trusted-types-for 'script'; report-uri https://csp.withgoogle.com/csp/apps-themes

require-trusted-types-for 'script'; report-uri https://csp.withgoogle.com/csp/youtube-main-app-web-scs-key

"Welfare fraud" in Colorado -- 5 Ways You Can Be Charged and Top 3 Legal Defenses Explained

wistia_embed

PODCAST: 

Customer reviews

5274f11e6fb32ae0cf2dfb9f8043272865c397a7c4223b4cfa7d50ea52fbde89

cb6f2d32c49d1c2b25e9ffc9aaafa3f83075346c01bcd4ae6eb187392a4292cf

87cee5f49ba0d3017efc409579fc58b91a717f8f14751f7d804447ac9bcbaf4b

ddcce687729cb358abf9d0d8e1217a097859be2b0d18c23d7c851b38c87bc9c0

d4efe709c65438ae90dff385486421fea45762880f21fc4e0dca3fa96210f428

29fdd17a7002a2e1bbd9b33adafc53457c64006b5aca8f6e4dbf907de35433ca

268cae8c2e7a7330526dd33b7dadc1bbd08b039bca4acd70390d81a7ef644767

fd9ae84b4655a6ff4bc18628d0dedaa835d10b5d6ea48455d73523c8b34e34f6

b4b00e538e6b52fc80bb1e97bebcf4a9e16e72e972128f6cef9b63507ca6b2c1

c66f47147d5fe3cceeaa47a93ff7440a328f859b049deec2f9d8f414e9137474

d0152ea86ec7a37fa0c8c87faf76cdbeae1331b22d9dd18d4b6587076c642f4d

44b4d2d3e74ad3a78e836b0acfc950278c30f19581d640b8017f78ea9bd9f3e3

699210a5ed06e497b4730ec83bb65ac4c2269ae4a0ee8af3f24aae7ee5b66b76

d84fa663f6c25967a38cedd6ed7216181a61e01694ffba5ef0418ab2248efe4d

a06367414e21ca690b7be3bad14cd62dcd8c35683b88cdee2050aaea11f703db

f9b60ae2f2938c589960ef00d9b9a644f0847f7183f597cdc3fbf8cfe904c552

ffd92ad22f9e770ceb1f8fdae17d769eeb4064954c0cffa7e16fedfe9f5829fa

5948680ca1a8e44941126b419f6451fc5699e755dbafd2acf71eb809b8f5de23

e59f0a427eb8bf812473874257a6fcf824f0d378335e8f9a769c8fdbd31a9306

c8aa058cd219632395b98ec48fde61d0e254fcd315a3b9559434b5a47103e59d

0b61e412da8a302bbd3803858298de4ebd67763ecf60a36d7e1e9c2718207d0d

5eed9e3404425ae3687467c6a1f45edd07b57761a4f8251239f3c4bef0663dda

2e684728f70d905f09f38a996426253d6208409930dc24e046658c18e898cb23

94514b098a447abf749743e3eebe1b76116bc86047643eec0521dde4af89fab6

749c1a5408410a742a0ee480b87ac2622c90c62f7c378e2480d60435bd4ff52a

d0cda1cf41f5e74dcefb718dedd1890eb9d4717a7bf6e9262715c958518b02af

eed0dc1fdb5d97ed188ae16fd5e1024a5bb744af47340346be2146300a6c54b9

08e9bec42e61606f54826605a20e5f0481a0fd2b163d379ffabf2bf772ae2326

b73b0c660c79d8c90d1e09c5074096780b0847a2de55a15761ab5f3152a99cbb

55ddd4071e9fe87222bed6c21b126f7a3be593fb1ab97f8531683e75c0bc83e7

eac2d1381086d9a1c796f3e0d019fbdebd0c376be6b3f69d0650723eab1cf0da

c2134d7ddbbf801a7addfb16e00624485c9521b340bbf6d2abb41786b6dc3673

d56647cac3424c32407072734da37701ecc6d1fcf96810f3bba92bd7f81240df

ead0348ec42d02a913ec17331830b175be7b96eddf9123c89f90d4d455c0b015

3032ddbf0e9a4b453c9a6b3c1feedd2a3c97b7e3ca776714d51ad3f0b39fa385

77c0a6d635dad44b53a9eb9f0f367a1bd3bf3620c0e41d3a4c15d1313f2553f0

22e53df7651101e5cbd2c246ae13dfdb3e62dfa36593b97df7d2dea8ae73934f

7546f19684d4eac38775201278fbcefedf755615cd837d3ccc51cef4615bf3fe

496e64c8ec2ec27919c0967a048070abbf81820cb5cf24cd8a09523d47633cca

7e7ea5880820a5af4ce51c5f0fe8de91a9b25dccb733669d3ff392e1ce519f9c

2a4d5f2bc7696ded02c94d092d6b0e69650e656523ddc2afab8c0fe4028ecce3

4543f55b0b8bc8fe912da8ddd1da7b07d0e8d3e77a824295a6bccd90d4f8aa13

fd59b0ebf6282ed71647bf2f6e0d1925bbfd1f270865a832079ebb60259aabca

ce3783d4091c989beac6560ce4ba0032d52339854010ac19358dfb702f226167

8955274567e7fe987a9de393cf379bb4c3d4fa37e124414f5f2385d6c1e9e770

5b8d3db82760f9cc6c3b8ddd4182bcf29a4931d6121eb2c55e53324970852293

88b7b60abfbcd15997d22d2839830aa4593142a21fc2b7be01f6896ac3d27310

9b303716e5a0088d85dd07ac1d4e3dc8bd9d5841d06cf1dd3e3ddaf17f4222fa

3bcc2c7ca992a92ae8cdf1fafede39339e94b81ab9db6675992cfc6b34020eee

6f5b4aa00d2f8d6aed9935b471806bf7acef464d0c1d390260e5fe27f800c67e

3b24f7d370356e5dd7855eb82ebc0c50e50bb7c9e9ccc85adb84d2dce7d74ff0

de5341313a4dc5d982ca50ae4a491e84bc5e80b0f439d87f05fc3973c1b7e59a

fb48d9a4a6de761faf8f52297bec3e87912be75826d2e9b9b4fff1b21858f35e

9a7a13e815802ad99fdf2770a874ef8ff3dda55cc60ddcd8908dd280cfe9886c

7edaa5313e3543cea30f01e030851659ef74e19a5c7ed02d170fd9d3ced4d278

ee013684776408dd7e407f8a628ab8430995cd6134214f9e48d2e7547c87b5d9

6d6fc95503f2d07939360b5086b03b08033aabe172b80db3ea813786f18d680b

957a9bcf87e7b73fe81b8acce7b2632fa4c10da13143156ae337dfbd8d3b8651

0181de8b52ce648d90f1e4b18d4efd82c214ef2bf8e718c192a749f36ef5dc1e

57facb47bd9286bb62218c1d89df02c7606c3632f4678dc7afdf4807a1e97f4c

1cf7f30f905d918dc9b408666edf02f68b304a313e29b82bf96a578bd0cc7bfb

dd0ec57abf154d52c161fae92db6014f042417d9660679097ae55287041ec52e

c2ff6df28bea9c7e1ac95692e3a2eb68b33be87031c45f96ebe5319876d9ea82

3e65ff79929143371b66dcf5a618fbfb3fda36a14a80b43d4b87fd034291583b

0925e7f3b8a8faeca28667726dd1667d60f5ef8f165ed7a57597d6f331c6ad32

8d799b427eb66ff687deb326171d578b45b33bad2d92d8148f7cf445544abad4

22dfec8cd165926759157192a916cfec6e69ce7d976ff1375c55e65f03a0f9f7

9ea6306c3258c7a2cab3c6b0fa6f0ad386433ea42b72a7084079d81cdfd08a89

cd502fe981bcf9857251f79ef776ecf4684cdefc823773df4d26ade0ab514053

Aid to the Needy Disabled Colorado Supplement to Social Security (AND-CS)

Broke people, broken rules: Explaining welfare fraud investigators’ attributions

Welfare Law, Welfare Fraud, and the Moral Regulation of the ‘Never Deserving’ Poor

viewport

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXYnzckszCM In Colorado, you can be charged with welfare fraud for filing a false application for welfare benefits, making a false statement such as underreporting income, failing to disclose all the people residing in the home, or failing to report all of the assets and property owned. Welfare fraud is subject to criminal theft charges.

description

robots

generator

“Welfare Fraud” in Colorado – Law, Penalties & Defenses - Colorado Legal Defense Group

twitter:card

twitter:title

twitter:description

Elementor 4.0.7; features: e_font_icon_svg, additional_custom_breakpoints; settings: css_print_method-external, google_font-enabled, font_display-swap

https://cldg.legal/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/cropped-cldg-favicon-270x270.png

msapplication-TileImage

HSTS header missing - vulnerable to protocol downgrade attacks

CSP header missing - vulnerable to XSS attacks

GoDaddy.com, LLC

cldg.legal

Abuse

Google LLC

GOOGLE

https://embed-ssl.wistia.com/deliveries/6af6cfea2798ca3cdd43e2dbb26a8cfd6b5dec94.bin

PODCAST: "Welfare Fraud" in Colorado - Law, Penalties &amp; Defenses

Hello everyone and welcome back to the Deep Dive. Today we need to take a breath. Usually we jump right into things as a lot of energy, today's topic is, well, it's different. If you found this specific discussion, you probably aren't just browsing for fun. You might be holding a letter from the state. You might, I've just had a knock on your door that turned your whole world upside down and you're probably just frozen by the question, what happens now?

That's exactly right. We're dealing with fear today. Real visceral fear. And we need to say, it is completely normal to be frightened.

The legal system is built to be intimidating. It speaks a language that's meant to confuse you, but we want to be very clear right from the start. We are speaking to you today as part of the Colorado Legal Defense Group. We are criminal defense attorneys and we're treating this deep dive as well, as a lifeline.

We aren't just analyzing the law. We are analyzing your defense.

Exactly. We're on your side. We're looking at a stack of statutes and, you know, case notes from the firm.

And the very first thing you need to know before we touch a single statute or talk about jail time is this: An investigation is not a conviction.

Just because the state says you did something, that doesn't mean they can prove it.

That is the headline. Not guilty is a very real possibility. Look, police make mistakes. Investigators make mistakes.

And bureaucracy. Bureaucracy is basically a machine that's designed to make mistakes. Mistakes. So our mission today is to demystify these charges of welfare fraud in Colorado.

We want to explain what the state has to prove, the penalties you could be facing, and most importantly, how our firm actually defends against these allegations.

So let's take a deep breath and let's get into it. First things first, welfare fraud. Sounds like a buzzword from the news. You know? It sounds like some sophisticated heist. But the reality, legally speaking, is it's a lot more mundane and honestly scarier because of how easy it is to just slip up.

It is. It's rarely a big heist. At its heart, welfare fraud in Colorado is just prosecuted under the state's normal theft or larceny laws. It's not some special category of crime. It's just treated as theft.

The core of it is that a person knowingly obtains something of value without authorization or by using deception.

Deception is the keyword there. Yeah. But I think people get tripped up on what deception actually looks like to a prosecutor. It's not always a clear lie, is it? Sometimes it's just leaving something out.

Precisely. It almost always comes down to information. Either you gave false information or much more commonly you didn't share information that the state thinks you should have.

Can we walk through a real world example? Because I think this is where the fear comes from. People don't even know if they've crossed the line. Let's say I'm on food assistance SNAOE benefits.

I'm struggling, so I pick up a few extra shifts, maybe some freelance work. I make, I don't know, an extra four hundred dollars one month just trying to pay the electric bill. I don't report it right away because I'm busy. I'm stressed.

I just forget. Is that fraud?

That is the classic scenario. And the short answer is, it can be. The state calls that under reporting income.

You have an obligation to update your file. If you don't and you keep getting benefits that were calculated on your old lower income, you have technically obtained value through deception.

Wow. Even if I meant to report it later. Even if I wasn't trying to scam anyone.

That's where it gets sticky. The state just looks at the result. You got money you weren't entitled to. They start from a place of assuming it was fraud.

Another huge trigger we see in our cases is household composition.

Right. Failing to disclose everyone who's actually living in the home.

Exactly. Let's say a partner moves in, they have a job, they buy their own food, but they live there. You don't put them on the lease, and you don't tell the welfare office because you don't think their income has anything to do with your benefits.

But the state sees it differently.

The state sees it very differently. They will argue that by not listing that person, you are hiding potential household income to keep your benefits high. That's fraud to them. And what about assets? Like if I have an old car or maybe a tiny piece of land somewhere.

Failing to report assets or property is another big one. And then, of course, you have the more direct things like getting benefits from two states at once.

Double dipping.

Right. Double dipping. Or taking another person's benefits without their permission.

And just so we're crystal clear for anyone listening, when we say benefits, we're talking about a whole umbrella of programs in Colorado, aren't we?

It's a huge umbrella. We're talking about food assistance, which is SNAP, and medical benefits, Medicaid, but also the cash programs. We see this a lot with Colorado Works and the Aid to the Needy Disabled programs, which you might see on paperwork as A and DCS or ANDI SO.

Okay, and I see here also the old age pension or OAP.

Correct. Plus the home care allowance, HCA, and the personal needs Allowance, PNA.

If you get help from any of those, and there's a problem with your paperwork, you are potentially on the radar for a fraud charge.

Now, you said a word a minute ago that I really want to circle back to, because it feels like the most important word in this whole conversation. You said knowingly.

Yes. That is the crucial legal element. To be guilty of this type of theft, you have to have knowingly obtained the benefits by deception.

So if I just messed up the paperwork, if I'm just bad at forms If it wasn't knowing, it might not be fraud.

It might just be an overpayment that you have to pay back. But here's the problem. The prosecutor will often charge you criminally first and then let you try to prove it was a mistake later on.

That is terrifying. Yeah. And speaking of terrifying, we have to talk about the consequences. This is where we have to be really honest about the stakes. I think a lot of people might think, okay, worst case, I pay the money back, maybe do some community service.

I wish that were true, but in Colorado this is all governed by CRS eighteen-four thousand four hundred one. And the penalties, they escalate based on the dollar value of the benefits. It's like a ladder and you can climb it very, very quickly.

So walk us up the rungs.

Where does it start?

At the bottom, if the value is less than three hundred dollars it's a petty offense. Up to ten days in jail, a small fine, scary but manageable.

Okay. And what's next?

Then you hit the misdemeanors. From three hundred up to just under one thousand dollars it's a Class II misdemeanor. That's up to one hundred and twenty days in jail. If it's one thousand up to just under two thousand, it becomes a Class I misdemeanor. Now you're looking at up to three sixty four days in jail.

Almost a full year in county jail. But this is where it gets really, really serious. There's a specific dollar amount that tips this whole thing from a misdemeanor, which is bad, into a felony, a life altering felony.

That number is two thousand dollars two thousand dollars I just want to pause on that because that number feels incredibly low with the cost of rent and food in Colorado today.

I mean, two thousand in benefits is not a fortune.

It's not. It could be just a couple months of support for a family. And here is the real kicker. Investigations often look back over a year, sometimes more.

So if you were overpaid by just two hundred dollars a month Because of that freelance job we talked about.

Exactly. Over the course of a year, you have crossed that two thousand dollars threshold.

So you drift into felony territory without even knowing it. You become an accidental felon.

That's it, exactly. And once you cross two thousand dollars you are facing a class six felony that carries twelve to eighteen months in prison.

And we need to be clear here, we are not talking about county jail anymore, we're talking about prison, Department of Corrections.

We're talking prison, plus fines up to a hundred thousand dollars and it just goes up from there. If the value is between five and twenty thousand, it's a class five felony one to three years in prison.

And let's be real, dollars five thousand in medical benefits could happen from a single emergency room visit.

If the value is twenty thousand dollars to one hundred thousand dollars which we see in longer term cases, it's a class four felony. Two to six years. And if we're talking about really major cases, one hundred thousand up to one million dollars is a class three felony. That's four to twelve years in prison.

It always feels like the system is designed to push you over that felony line. Threshold is so is.

The math works against you very quickly. But wait, because it gets even more complicated.

When the state charges you, do they usually stop at just one charge of welfare fraud?

I have a feeling the answer is no.

Rarely. This is a tactic called stacking. Prosecutors will stack on related charges to increase their leverage against you. They want to scare you into taking a plea.

What else could they possibly charge you with? If the crime is lying to get benefits, isn't that, you know, isn't that it?

You'd think so. But let's look at how you allegedly got the benefits.

Yep.

If you use someone else's information, maybe a child who doesn't live with you, that can trigger a charge of identity theft. CRS eighteen five nine year two.

Which is a whole separate crime.

A separate crime and often a felony all by itself.

Wow. Okay. What else is in their playbook?

Then there's computer crime. CRS eighteen five point five one zero two.

Computer crime? Hold on, that sounds like you're, you know, hacking a mainframe or something.

I know, sounds like something out of a movie. But the law in Colorado is incredibly broad. Simply using a computer or a network to file that false claim makes it a computer crime.

Wait. Are you serious? So if I just go to the Colorado Peak website on my phone and submit the form, that's a computer crime?

Under the law, yes. Yeah. If you used a computer network to commit the fraud, which is what everyone does now, it's all digital, they can add a computer crime charge right on top of the fraud charge.

That feels incredibly heavy handed. You can't even apply for benefits most of time without a computer.

It is heavy handed, but from the prosecutor's point of view, it's another lever. It adds potential years to your sentence, which makes you more likely to plead guilty to something lesser just to make the whole nightmare go away.

That is just terrifying leverage.

And then there's forgery, CRS eighteen Vashed one zero two. This comes up if you altered any documents. Let's say you altered a doctor's note for medical benefits or created a fake pay stub. That's forgery. And first degree forgery is a class five felony.

So just to recap this nightmare, you could be facing the fraud charge itself, plus identity theft, plus computer crime just for using the internet, plus forgery.

It becomes a very complex web of charges very quickly, you're suddenly facing a mountain and that is why a simple defense isn't enough.

You can't just go to court and say I didn't mean to. You need a sophisticated defense that can untangle that web.

Okay let's pivot. We've laid out the fear, the penalties, the stacking and let's talk about the fight. Because if someone is calling the Colorado Legal Defense Group they're not calling for sympathy, they're calling for a strategy. How do we fight back?

We shift immediately from what happened to what can they prove. And as I said before, the biggest battlefield is usually intent.

The knowingly part.

Exactly. The lack of intent defense is critical. We work to prove that you genuinely believed you were submitting accurate claims. We have to show there was no criminal mind at work here.

Because the bureaucracy is just so confusing. Right? I mean, these forums are pages of dense legal jargon.

They're incredibly dense. And that leads directly into the mistake defense. Maybe information was entered as a typo, you misunderstood a question, you didn't realize that irregular income counted. Making mistake on a government form shouldn't make you a criminal. We argue the difference between a lie and a typo.

That makes a lot of sense. But what if the person really truly didn't do it at all?

Then we use the identity theft victim defense.

Sometimes our client didn't file the claim. Someone else, an ex, a family member, a stranger, used their identity to scam the system. In that case, our client is the victim, not the criminal.

And I assume you also just attack the evidence itself.

Absolutely. The no fraudulent docs defense. Did you actually file a fake document? Or is the stage just misinterpreting a real one? We challenge everything.

And this all goes back to what we said at the start. Investigators make mistakes. They get lazy.

They do. Our lawyers are devoted to demystifying all of this. If the investigation was flawed, if your rights were violated, we fight to get that evidence thrown out completely.

I want to talk about the team here at Colorado Legal Defense Group.

Because when you are facing prison, you don't just need a lawyer. You need a person who gets it.

Who are the people in the foxhole with you?

That's the core of our firm. We have people like Mark Savoy. Mark is a former deputy district attorney.

Which is huge. He knows their playbook.

He knows exactly how the other side thinks. He plays devil's advocate because he used to be the one bringing these charges. He knows their weak spots. He knows when a computer crime charge is just a bluff and how to call them on it.

It's about having someone who can look at a prosecutor and say, this isn't a criminal. This is a single parent who made a mistake on a form.

Precisely. And then you have Ahad. I was just reading a client review that said Ahad was filing motions and keeping in constant contact even while he was on vacation.

That's the kind of dedication you need. Someone who isn't just punching a clock.

And then there's Diane. Clients always talk about how she actually listens. When you're in legal trouble, you feel so isolated. Having someone like Diane who just reassures you, that matters.

We can't forget Allen Davis.

Allen is the one for the hard to beat cases. We had a client who thought her situation was impossible, all the odds were against her. Allen Davis won the case and kept her family together.

And that's what it's all about, keeping families together. You know, I saw an anecdote in our notes that I think perfectly explains why you need human experts like that.

Oh, is this the AI story?

Yeah. A person posted online, I asked the legal question to chat GPT and it said I was fine. Then I asked the same question to Gemini, and it said I should be worried.

It's funny, but it's also incredibly dangerous. And that is a critical lesson. AI chatbots are not lawyers. They get things wrong, they have old information, they don't understand the nuance of Colorado law or the local courts.

Right. ChatGPT doesn't know the judge in your county. It doesn't know the specific DA in Colorado Springs.

Exactly. Relying on a bot for your legal defense is a disaster waiting to happen. You need real human strategy and you need it now. We are available three hundred and sixty five days a year.

We know these crises don't just happen from nine to five.

We are ready to help you twenty four seven.

And we're local. We're not some faceless website. We have offices right here. We're in Denver on nineteenth Avenue.

We're in Colorado Springs on Tishaun Street.

In Loveland on Fox Rail Drive.

And in Aspen at the Aspen Airport Business So we have covered a lot, but if there's one single thing you want someone to take away from this, what is it?

Don't wait. Action is the antidote to fear. It's normal to be scared, but doing nothing is dangerous.

Every day you wait is another day the prosecution is building their case and you aren't building yours.

If you're in this situation or you even think you might be, call us. The number is three zero three two two two zero three three zero. Again, that's three zero three two two two zero three three zero. You can also message us right through the website.

And here's a final thought. The legal system, a lot of the time, ends up criminalizing poverty and confusion. It takes people who are just struggling and buries them under statutes and felony classes, but a charge does not have to become a conviction. With the right defense we can fight back against that narrative.

Absolutely. We are the Colorado Legal Defense Group. Call us and let's see how we can help. Thanks for listening.

Criminal Laws A-Z

Welfare Fraud

Colorado Legal Defense Group


  window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || [];
  function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);}
  gtag('js', new Date());

  gtag('config', 'G-WHCDPBC5NN');



jQuery(document).ready(function ($) {
        $(document).on("click", ".fn", function (e) {
            e.preventDefault();
            $("#fnbox").remove();
            var footnoteLink = $.trim($(this).text());
            var footnoteEl = document.getElementById("fn:" + footnoteLink);
            if (!footnoteEl) return;
            var thisPopHTML = '<div id="fnbox"><span id="closefootnotes">x</span><p>' + $(footnoteEl).text() + '</p></div>';
            $(this).after(thisPopHTML);
        });
        $(document).on("click", "#closefootnotes", function () {
            $("#fnbox").remove();
        });
    });
	
	
	jQuery(document).ready(function ($) {
    var $nav = $('.elementor-element-eb8f8fe');
    var threshold = 100;
    var ticking = false;

    function handleScroll() {
        if ($(window).scrollTop() > threshold) {
            $nav.addClass('nav-scrolled');
        } else {
            $nav.removeClass('nav-scrolled');
        }
        ticking = false;
    }

    $(window).on('scroll', function () {
        if (!ticking) {
            window.requestAnimationFrame(handleScroll);
            ticking = true;
        }
    });

    handleScroll();
});


Welfare fraud involves making a false statement, filing a false claim for welfare, or withholding information in order to receive welfare benefits.

What is welfare fraud in Colorado?

Under C.R.S. 18-4-401, the penalties for welfare fraud depend on the extent of the fraud and value of welfare benefits unlawfully received.

What are the penalties?

There are many defenses available to individuals charged with welfare fraud. This includes:<ul><li>You did not intend to commit welfare fraud</li><li>You believed you were submitting an accurate and legitimate welfare claims</li><li>...</li></ul>

What are the most common legal defenses?


    document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", function () {
        var iframes = document.querySelectorAll('iframe[src*="youtube.com/embed"]');
        iframes.forEach(function (iframe) {
            // Avoid wrapping if already wrapped
            if (iframe.parentElement.classList.contains('responsive-video-wrapper')) return;

            var wrapper = document.createElement('div');
            wrapper.classList.add('responsive-video-wrapper');
            iframe.parentNode.insertBefore(wrapper, iframe);
            wrapper.appendChild(iframe);
        });
    });
    

(function (w,d,s,v,odl){(w[v]=w[v]||{})['odl']=odl;
    var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s);j.async=true;
    j.src='https://intaker.azureedge.net/widget/chat.min.js';
    f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);
    })(window, document, 'script','Intaker', 'coloradolegaldefensegroup');
    


wp.i18n.setLocaleData( { 'text direction\u0004ltr': [ 'ltr' ] } );
//# sourceURL=wp-i18n-js-after



var wpcf7 = {
    "api": {
        "root": "https:\/\/cldg.legal\/wp-json\/",
        "namespace": "contact-form-7\/v1"
    },
    "cached": 1
};
//# sourceURL=contact-form-7-js-before



var elementorFrontendConfig = {"environmentMode":{"edit":false,"wpPreview":false,"isScriptDebug":false},"i18n":{"shareOnFacebook":"Share on Facebook","shareOnTwitter":"Share on Twitter","pinIt":"Pin it","download":"Download","downloadImage":"Download image","fullscreen":"Fullscreen","zoom":"Zoom","share":"Share","playVideo":"Play Video","previous":"Previous","next":"Next","close":"Close","a11yCarouselPrevSlideMessage":"Previous slide","a11yCarouselNextSlideMessage":"Next slide","a11yCarouselFirstSlideMessage":"This is the first slide","a11yCarouselLastSlideMessage":"This is the last slide","a11yCarouselPaginationBulletMessage":"Go to slide"},"is_rtl":false,"breakpoints":{"xs":0,"sm":480,"md":768,"lg":1025,"xl":1440,"xxl":1600},"responsive":{"breakpoints":{"mobile":{"label":"Mobile Portrait","value":767,"default_value":767,"direction":"max","is_enabled":true},"mobile_extra":{"label":"Mobile Landscape","value":880,"default_value":880,"direction":"max","is_enabled":false},"tablet":{"label":"Tablet Portrait","value":1024,"default_value":1024,"direction":"max","is_enabled":true},"tablet_extra":{"label":"Tablet Landscape","value":1200,"default_value":1200,"direction":"max","is_enabled":false},"laptop":{"label":"Laptop","value":1366,"default_value":1366,"direction":"max","is_enabled":false},"widescreen":{"label":"Widescreen","value":2400,"default_value":2400,"direction":"min","is_enabled":false}},"hasCustomBreakpoints":false},"version":"4.0.7","is_static":false,"experimentalFeatures":{"e_font_icon_svg":true,"additional_custom_breakpoints":true,"container":true,"e_optimized_markup":true,"theme_builder_v2":true,"hello-theme-header-footer":true,"e_pro_free_trial_popup":true,"nested-elements":true,"e_atomic_elements":true,"atomic_widgets_should_enforce_capabilities":true,"editor_mcp":true,"e_bc_migrations":true,"e_classes":true,"global_classes_should_enforce_capabilities":true,"e_variables":true,"e_variables_manager":true,"e_opt_in_v4_page":true,"e_opt_in_v4":true,"e_components":true,"e_interactions":true,"e_widget_creation":true,"import-export-customization":true,"e_pro_atomic_form":true,"mega-menu":true,"e_pro_variables":true,"e_pro_interactions":true},"urls":{"assets":"https:\/\/cldg.legal\/wp-content\/plugins\/elementor\/assets\/","ajaxurl":"https:\/\/cldg.legal\/wp-admin\/admin-ajax.php","uploadUrl":"https:\/\/cldg.legal\/wp-content\/uploads"},"nonces":{"floatingButtonsClickTracking":"f01f94fc9c","atomicFormsSendForm":"bfae231fca"},"swiperClass":"swiper","settings":{"page":[],"editorPreferences":[]},"kit":{"active_breakpoints":["viewport_mobile","viewport_tablet"],"global_image_lightbox":"yes","lightbox_enable_counter":"yes","lightbox_enable_fullscreen":"yes","lightbox_enable_zoom":"yes","lightbox_enable_share":"yes","lightbox_title_src":"title","lightbox_description_src":"description","hello_header_logo_type":"title","hello_header_menu_layout":"horizontal","hello_footer_logo_type":"logo"},"post":{"id":1381,"title":"%E2%80%9CWelfare%20Fraud%E2%80%9D%20in%20Colorado%20%E2%80%93%20Law%2C%20Penalties%20%26%20Defenses%20-%20Colorado%20Legal%20Defense%20Group","excerpt":"","featuredImage":"https:\/\/cldg.legal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/what-is-welfare-fraud-in-colorado.jpg"}};
//# sourceURL=elementor-frontend-js-before



var ElementorProFrontendConfig = {"ajaxurl":"https:\/\/cldg.legal\/wp-admin\/admin-ajax.php","nonce":"fc151fe633","urls":{"assets":"https:\/\/cldg.legal\/wp-content\/plugins\/elementor-pro\/assets\/","rest":"https:\/\/cldg.legal\/wp-json\/"},"settings":{"lazy_load_background_images":true},"popup":{"hasPopUps":false},"shareButtonsNetworks":{"facebook":{"title":"Facebook","has_counter":true},"twitter":{"title":"Twitter"},"linkedin":{"title":"LinkedIn","has_counter":true},"pinterest":{"title":"Pinterest","has_counter":true},"reddit":{"title":"Reddit","has_counter":true},"vk":{"title":"VK","has_counter":true},"odnoklassniki":{"title":"OK","has_counter":true},"tumblr":{"title":"Tumblr"},"digg":{"title":"Digg"},"skype":{"title":"Skype"},"stumbleupon":{"title":"StumbleUpon","has_counter":true},"mix":{"title":"Mix"},"telegram":{"title":"Telegram"},"pocket":{"title":"Pocket","has_counter":true},"xing":{"title":"XING","has_counter":true},"whatsapp":{"title":"WhatsApp"},"email":{"title":"Email"},"print":{"title":"Print"},"x-twitter":{"title":"X"},"threads":{"title":"Threads"}},"facebook_sdk":{"lang":"en_US","app_id":""},"lottie":{"defaultAnimationUrl":"https:\/\/cldg.legal\/wp-content\/plugins\/elementor-pro\/modules\/lottie\/assets\/animations\/default.json"}};
//# sourceURL=elementor-pro-frontend-js-before



/*! This file is auto-generated */
const a=JSON.parse(document.getElementById("wp-emoji-settings").textContent),o=(window._wpemojiSettings=a,"wpEmojiSettingsSupports"),s=["flag","emoji"];function i(e){try{var t={supportTests:e,timestamp:(new Date).valueOf()};sessionStorage.setItem(o,JSON.stringify(t))}catch(e){}}function c(e,t,n){e.clearRect(0,0,e.canvas.width,e.canvas.height),e.fillText(t,0,0);t=new Uint32Array(e.getImageData(0,0,e.canvas.width,e.canvas.height).data);e.clearRect(0,0,e.canvas.width,e.canvas.height),e.fillText(n,0,0);const a=new Uint32Array(e.getImageData(0,0,e.canvas.width,e.canvas.height).data);return t.every((e,t)=>e===a[t])}function p(e,t){e.clearRect(0,0,e.canvas.width,e.canvas.height),e.fillText(t,0,0);var n=e.getImageData(16,16,1,1);for(let e=0;e<n.data.length;e++)if(0!==n.data[e])return!1;return!0}function u(e,t,n,a){switch(t){case"flag":return n(e,"\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\u26a7\ufe0f","\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200b\u26a7\ufe0f")?!1:!n(e,"\ud83c\udde8\ud83c\uddf6","\ud83c\udde8\u200b\ud83c\uddf6")&&!n(e,"\ud83c\udff4\udb40\udc67\udb40\udc62\udb40\udc65\udb40\udc6e\udb40\udc67\udb40\udc7f","\ud83c\udff4\u200b\udb40\udc67\u200b\udb40\udc62\u200b\udb40\udc65\u200b\udb40\udc6e\u200b\udb40\udc67\u200b\udb40\udc7f");case"emoji":return!a(e,"\ud83e\u1fac8")}return!1}function f(e,t,n,a){let r;const o=(r="undefined"!=typeof WorkerGlobalScope&&self instanceof WorkerGlobalScope?new OffscreenCanvas(300,150):document.createElement("canvas")).getContext("2d",{willReadFrequently:!0}),s=(o.textBaseline="top",o.font="600 32px Arial",{});return e.forEach(e=>{s[e]=t(o,e,n,a)}),s}function r(e){var t=document.createElement("script");t.src=e,t.defer=!0,document.head.appendChild(t)}a.supports={everything:!0,everythingExceptFlag:!0},new Promise(t=>{let n=function(){try{var e=JSON.parse(sessionStorage.getItem(o));if("object"==typeof e&&"number"==typeof e.timestamp&&(new Date).valueOf()<e.timestamp+604800&&"object"==typeof e.supportTests)return e.supportTests}catch(e){}return null}();if(!n){if("undefined"!=typeof Worker&&"undefined"!=typeof OffscreenCanvas&&"undefined"!=typeof URL&&URL.createObjectURL&&"undefined"!=typeof Blob)try{var e="postMessage("+f.toString()+"("+[JSON.stringify(s),u.toString(),c.toString(),p.toString()].join(",")+"));",a=new Blob([e],{type:"text/javascript"});const r=new Worker(URL.createObjectURL(a),{name:"wpTestEmojiSupports"});return void(r.onmessage=e=>{i(n=e.data),r.terminate(),t(n)})}catch(e){}i(n=f(s,u,c,p))}t(n)}).then(e=>{for(const n in e)a.supports[n]=e[n],a.supports.everything=a.supports.everything&&a.supports[n],"flag"!==n&&(a.supports.everythingExceptFlag=a.supports.everythingExceptFlag&&a.supports[n]);var t;a.supports.everythingExceptFlag=a.supports.everythingExceptFlag&&!a.supports.flag,a.supports.everything||((t=a.source||{}).concatemoji?r(t.concatemoji):t.wpemoji&&t.twemoji&&(r(t.twemoji),r(t.wpemoji)))});
//# sourceURL=https://cldg.legal/wp-includes/js/wp-emoji-loader.min.js


Requests	IP Address	Location	AS Autonomous System
38	141.193.213.21	United States	AS209242Cloudflare London, LLC
37	146.75.122.132	Frankfurt am Main, Hesse, Germany	AS54113Fastly, Inc.
37	54.241.248.93	San Jose, California, United States	AS16509Amazon.com, Inc.
37	142.251.127.95	United States	AS15169Google LLC
37	142.251.127.97	United States	AS15169Google LLC
186	5	-	-

Security Scan Report: cldg.legal

Summary

AI Security Verdict

Safe Website

Safety Factors

Details

Screenshot

Page Load Overview

Language Analysis

Primary Language

Detection Details

Website Classification

Primary Category

All Detected Categories

Detected Features

Domain & IP Information

Detected Technologies16

Content Similarity HashesFor malware variant detection

TLSH (Trend Micro Locality Sensitive Hash)

ssdeep (Context Triggered Piecewise Hashing)

sdhash (Similarity Digest Hashing)

Image Hashes

Perceptual Hashes

Other Hashes

Scan History