Mayoral Candidate Says Prior Arrest for Theft of Food Stamp Benefits ‘Actually Qualifies’ Her to Hold Office

Denver Socialist Mayoral Candidate Says Prior Arrest for Theft of Food Stamp Benefits ‘Actually Qualifies’ Her to Hold Office​

Shontel Lewis, a Democratic Socialist running in the Denver mayoral election, has a unique spin on her prior arrest for the theft of food stamps. She says it makes her more qualified to hold office.

In 2008, while she worked at the Department of Human Services East Food Stamp Office, Lewis used that job to take public benefit money that belonged to other people.
According to the police affidavit reported by the Denver Post, she searched EBT systems for inactive accounts that still had money and reissued benefit cards from those accounts.
She then gave cards to a roommate to use for food and cash benefits.


“Twenty years ago, I was young. I was a young mom. I was grieving. I did something really silly, and I paid my restitution. I did my time and I took care of what I needed to do. While also navigating all of the ills of poverty.”
“And 20 years later, I’m running for mayor because I don’t want those conditions to ever exist where someone is in a state of desperation where they feel like they have to go down that pathway.