Schuylkill County Police Officer Denna V. Krammes Charged With Felony Welfare Fraud.
A Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania police officer found herself on the wrong side of the criminal justice system after state investigators accused her of collecting public assistance benefits while failing to report income from her police job.
According to a report by Times News Online, the Pennsylvania Office of State Inspector General filed a felony fraud charge against Denna V. Krammes, then 43, of Orwigsburg, in April 2021. Krammes was reportedly working as a police officer with the Coaldale Borough Police Department when investigators said she failed to properly disclose her wages while receiving benefits.
The case centered on a Pennsylvania COMPASS benefits application completed in September 2020. COMPASS is the state’s online system used to apply for and manage public assistance benefits, including Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits and medical assistance.
Investigators alleged that Krammes e-signed the application certifying that the information she provided was true. During a September 21, 2020 interview with the county assistance office, she reportedly stated that she had no current employment, while also reporting that she was receiving Pennsylvania Pandemic Unemployment Assistance benefits.
Based on the application and interview, Krammes and her child were approved for public assistance. Times News reported that Krammes received $1,907 in SNAP benefits and $1,733.04 in medical assistance benefits.
The problem, according to investigators, was that Krammes had allegedly been receiving wages from Coaldale Borough during the same general time period. Investigators reportedly determined that she was employed by Coaldale as a police officer and that her employment had begun before she disclosed it to the assistance office.
According to the report, Krammes later informed the assistance office on December 31, 2020, that she had “recently” become a part-time police officer with Coaldale Borough Police Department and submitted pay stubs. However, investigators said employment verification later showed her work with Coaldale began earlier than that.
A Coaldale representative reportedly told investigators that Krammes had been hired on July 20, 2020, and was still employed as a police officer when interviewed in March 2021. The assistance office allegedly determined that Krammes and her child had received more benefits than they were eligible for because of the unreported income.
Krammes was arraigned before District Judge James Reiley in Pottsville and released on $5,000 unsecured bail, according to the Times News report.
The same report noted that Krammes had previously served in other law enforcement roles, including a brief period as Weissport’s police chief in 2016 and as a West Penn Township police officer. She had also reportedly worked as an office staff member for Tamaqua Magisterial District Judge Stephen Bayer in 2006.
A later court listing published through Yahoo News reported that Denna V. Krammes waived her case for court on a charge of fraudulently obtaining food stamps or assistance. Waiving a preliminary hearing generally means the case moves forward to the Court of Common Pleas, but it is not the same thing as a conviction.
As of this writing, a reliable final disposition for the case was not located. For that reason, this story should be treated as a report on the charge and allegations, not as a claim that Krammes was convicted.
Why This Case Matters
Police officers routinely investigate fraud, theft, false statements, and other crimes involving public trust. When an officer is accused of making false statements to obtain public benefits, the case naturally raises questions about honesty, accountability, and whether law enforcement officers are held to the same standards they help impose on everyone else.
The allegations against Krammes were not about a complicated legal technicality. Investigators said the issue was simple: she allegedly failed to disclose police wages while receiving taxpayer-funded assistance. If those allegations were true, the conduct would represent the exact kind of deception ordinary citizens are prosecuted for every day.
For a police officer, credibility is not optional. It is central to arrests, reports, testimony, investigations, and public trust. When an officer’s own truthfulness becomes the subject of a criminal fraud case, the damage reaches beyond one application or one benefits file.
