Parksley woman convicted of 14 counts of welfare fraud

By Linda Cicoira

A Parksley woman was convicted Thursday in Accomack Circuit Court of 14 counts of welfare fraud involving nearly $17,400 worth of benefits.

Judgment was initially deferred for 37-year-old Ashley Lee Lafferty on the condition that she make restitution. But she failed to pay any of the debt. A plea agreement would have reduced the charges to one count of welfare fraud if she had upheld her end of the bargain.

“Often times in cases, everyone has good intentions,” said defense lawyer Sterling Weaver. “She lost her job, her son was missing, she was hospitalized numerous times for depression and anxiety. Someone else is taking care of her kids … she got into a position that she was not able to manage … she entered into the agreement in good faith. It did not happen,” Weaver said.

Lafferty cried and begged for mercy. “I’ve got an older son who has been missing since July. I was at Tyson’s for eight and a half years … I know I did the crime … I just need peace. I’m tired. I’m tired and I’m sorry.” She asked for leniency so she could take care of her other two younger children.

Judge W. Revell Lewis III said, “Sorry for the circumstances you find yourself in … you made some decisions here that have consequences … If you ignore your problems, they just get bigger,” he said.

Lewis sentenced her to three years for each of the 14 counts to be served consecutively with all but a month each suspended for a total of 14 months to serve. Five years of supervised probation will begin when she gets out of jail. She was ordered to pay restitution by December 2028.

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