Foster care fraud allegations have Duncan woman wanted by the law

DUNCAN — An arrest warrant was issued Tuesday for a Duncan woman accused of collecting over $14,000 in foster care payments for a child who wasn’t living with her.

The Stephens County District Court issued the felony warrant against Dawn Marie Taylor, 50, for a count of false, fictitious or fraudulent claims against the state, records indicate. The crime is punishable by a fine up to $10,000 and repayment of the money.

Taylor is accused of collecting $14,022.28 from the Oklahoma Department of Human Services for foster care between November 2020 and November 2022.

Oklahoma Department of Human Services Agent John A. Tidwell conducted the investigation. Taylor had signed a service contract to provide foster care in July 2018. She had reported living at 1814 W. Parkview Drive in Duncan and was to provide foster care for a 4-year-old, the warrant affidavit states. She was to notify DHS that all alternate caregivers be pre-approved before being used as a temporary caregiver.

Records indicate between November 2020 and November 2022, she received $531.60 per month, another $513.88 in December 2022 and three miscellaneous payments of $250, the affidavit states.

Agents interviewed a couple who said the child stayed with them every day of the month except the limited time the child would stay at Taylor’s house for any official DHS visits, Tidwell stated. They said they weren’t state-approved caregivers for the child, said they had no knowledge of a foster child staying with them and that they received no foster care money from Taylor to keep the child, according to the affidavit.

Agents interviewed Taylor at her home and she said the child lived with the other family every other night of the month minus the days DHS conducted contact visits, the affidavit states. She said all of the DHS money was in a bank account in her and the child’s name and she planned to give all the money to the child.

“Despite several attempts to obtain this documentation from Dawn Taylor,” Tidwell stated, “Dawn Taylor has failed to provide any bank statement(s) or other documentation as of this date.”