Former Department of Social Services employee placed on probation

A former Department of Social Services employee who used her job to access personal information about Missourians to open cell phone accounts for her prisoner husband and his jailhouse friends, received three years of probation today during a sentencing hearing in federal court in Jefferson City.

Robin Lynette Deardorff was sentenced to 12 months on one count and two years on three other counts, then placed on probation, with the requirement that she pay back $161,224.52 and pay a special assessment of $400.

Ms. Deardorff, 31, Jefferson City, was indicted by a federal grand jury June 1, 2007, for a fraud scheme in which she and six others allegedly used Social Security numbers, names and birth dates to set up cell phone and landline phone service to help prisoners make calls through the accounts. She was charged with fraud and identity theft.

As you might recall, though only if you read The Turner Report since this story has been shamefully neglected by the traditional media, Ms. Deardorff was hired by the Department of Social Services and given unfettered access to personal information about Missourians despite the fact that she had been convicted of numerous crimes, including two charges of stealing and one of endangering the welfare of a child. Department officials said it takes months to do a thorough background check. I uncovered the information in about 10 minutes and I am sure they have access to case.net, as well as many other sources through which at least a quick cursory background check could be made.

Are things any different now? Are background checks being conducted before people are given access to valuable personal information? Did anyone at least receive a reprimand for allowing Ms. Deardorff to be hired.

And let's not forget, two other defendants in this case were state government employees. How did they slip through the cracks?