BY IAN CROUCH
Strike force detectives have arrested and charged a Hunter Valley woman as part of ongoing investigations into alleged fraudulent claims for bushfire and COVID-19 assistance grants.
Police allege that between Thursday 12 March and Sunday 13 September 2020 the 31-year-old fraudulently applied for 34 grants, with 11 of those granted valued at $104,000.
It's also alleged the woman obtained a further $268,000 in grants to which she was not entitled.
Officers arrested Ellen Howard at an Aberdare home on Friday and charged her with 16 counts of dishonestly obtain financial benefit by deception.
She faced Newcastle Local Court on Saturday where her application for bail was refused.
