Missouri officials launch Operation Show-Me the Money anti-fraud initiative

Governor Mike Kehoe and federal authorities have announced the launch of ‘Operation Show-Me the Money,’ a collaborative crackdown aimed at prosecuting individuals and entities that defraud state benefit programs. The initiative brings together the Kehoe administration, the Missouri Attorney General’s Office, and the U.S. Department of Justice.

The operation utilizes a three-pronged strategy involving tips from frontline staff, targeted reviews of specific benefit programs, and cross-agency data analysis to identify patterns of abuse. To strengthen prosecution, a cooperation agreement has been established where assistant attorneys general will be sworn in as special United States attorneys to handle crimes at both state and federal levels.

Matt Price, the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Missouri, noted that the initiative follows a period where U.S. attorneys' offices in Missouri prosecuted cases involving $62 million in actual and intended fraud losses.