Big Apple City worker and friend plead guilty to stealing $8 million in food stamps

A city worker and her pal pleaded guilty Tuesday to stealing $8 million in food stamps.

Lois Johnson, 57, who worked for the Human Resources Administration, and her out-of-work friend Alice Bradford, 50, pleaded guilty to mail fraud conspiracy in Manhattan Federal Court.

The fraudsters made up thousands of fake cases and paid off relatives or friends to have the food stamps mailed to their homes. The pair used "the publicly funded food stamp program as a personal treasure trove of easy money," said Department of Investigation Commissioner Rose Gill Hearn.

Johnson faces a likely sentence of no more than 14 months in jail, while Bradford faces a likely maximum of 37 months, according to their plea agreement.

Two others charged in the fraud, former HRA worker Tori Jackson and friend Alice Bradford, still face charges of using inside information and codes to make up the food stamp cards.