A Rankin County mother will serve more time in federal prison for lying on her food stamp application than a group of people recently sentenced in a multimillion-dollar mortgage fraud scheme.

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[Judge] Wingate bypassed sentencing McLemore under federal guidelines that suggested she receive two to eight months in prison and would have made her eligible for probation. He instead sentenced her under a federal statute that carries a maximum five years in prison.

She received $4367 in benefits. She paid the money back, but she’s still going to fucking prison.

Yeah, she’s a liar and clearly has a drug problem, but three years in prison? For a 47 year-old non-violent offender? What the fuck is wrong with this country?

The rich and powerful get away with murder, while someone’s 47 year-old mom — who is so poor she needs food stamps — gets three years in prison for lying on an application. For food stamps. That she needs because she’s so poor.

This is happening in the richest country on the planet, by the way.