PA Councilman Accused of Fraudulently Collecting $7K in Food & Heating Aid
Uniontown councilman allegedly pocketed nearly $7,000 in SNAP and heating aid while falsely claiming unemployment.
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Trace Thomas, a 34-year-old Democrat serving on Uniontown City Council, faces one count of fraudulently obtaining benefits after state investigators alleged he collected Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) payments and Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funds while repeatedly reporting himself as unemployed.
BREAKING: Trace Thomas, a Democrat City Council Member for Uniontown, PA, has been charged with allegedly fraudulently obtaining SNAP benefits https://t.co/CxMxifNIMe
The Pennsylvania State Office of Inspector General alleges Thomas received $5,705 in SNAP benefits and another $1,000 through the heating assistance program after he was hired by Senior Life, a Pittsburgh-based health care company, in September 2023. According to the criminal complaint, obtained by The Herald Standard, Thomas continued to report himself as unemployed on eight applications for the funds as late as August 2025.
Thomas also completed phone interviews with the county assistance office for SNAP benefits, during which he did not disclose employment or income. More than a year after receiving his first paycheck from Senior Life, Thomas sent a letter to the county assistance office in September 2024 stating that he was unemployed and looking for a job.
Thomas was elected to a four-year term on Uniontown City Council in 2023 and currently serves as the council member responsible for Streets & Improvements. The allegedly crooked Democrat was arraigned by Judge Jason Cox on Thursday morning. Cox set bond at $20,000, which Thomas posted through a self-surety bond.
The judge later recused himself from the case because Thomas had run unsuccessfully against him in a 2021 magistrate judge primary. The case was reassigned to Judge Ronald Haggerty, and Thomas’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for December 10.
Uniontown Solicitor Tim Witt told the Herald Standard, “The charge does not relate to the City and does not require any action by City Council or the City at this time. In the interim, however, the City notes that individuals are entitled to the presumption of innocence until proven otherwise. The City will monitor this case and will take action if or when it is appropriate.”
Thomas has not publicly commented on the charges as of Thursday.
Source: The Gateway Pundit
