Candidate Admitted Welfare Fraud

A candidate for the Spokane City Council admitted to welfare fraud six years ago.

Larry J. Bacon, a mechanic running for Council Position 1, pleaded guilty to second-degree theft after admitting he lied about his income to the state Department of Health and Social Services, according to court records.

“That should have been closed,” said Bacon when asked about the record of the conviction. He said he made full restitution to the state.

During eight months in 1988, Bacon and his wife, Rose, collected $1,280 worth of food stamps and money they weren’t entitled to, court records show.

The couple submitted monthly income reports from April through November 1988 stating that Larry Bacon wasn’t working, the records said.

Actually, Bacon was working as a mechanic for Golden Rule Brake Service, earning between $700 and $1,500 each month, the records said.

Bacon said Wednesday he and his wife were struggling financially and needed to pay off several bills.

“I’d just started back to work and wasn’t making a whole bunch,” he said. “You get stuck in a rut.

“Some of the stuff I just spaced off.”

Rose Bacon also was charged with second-degree theft, but the charges were dropped when her husband pleaded guilty.

In 1989, Bacon was ordered to pay $1,426 in restitution to DSHS and do 120 hours of community service. He fulfilled both of his sentencing requirements, records show.

, DataTimes