Linda Taylor

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This article is about the criminal. For the Canadian lawyer and scholar, see
Whose Line Is It Anyway? (U.S. TV series)
.
Linda Taylor
Taylor leaving a courtroom in Chicago during a recess in her trial on March 8, 1977.
Born
Martha Louise White

c. January 1926
Golddust, Tennessee, U.S.
Died (aged 76)
Harvey, Illinois, U.S.
Other names
  • Martha Louise Miller
  • Connie Walker
  • Linda Bennett
  • Linda Jones
  • Connie Jarvis
  • Linda Lynch
  • Linda Sholvia
Known forWelfare fraud
Criminal statusConvicted
Conviction(s)
  • Fraud
  • Perjury
Criminal penalty3–7 years imprisonment
Date apprehended
August 2, 1974
Imprisoned atDwight Correctional Center,
Nevada Township, Illinois, U.S.
(1978–1980)

Linda Taylor (born Martha Louise White; c. January 1926 – April 18, 2002) was an American woman who committed extensive welfare fraud and, after the publication of an article in the Chicago Tribune in fall 1974, became identified as the "welfare queen". Accounts of Taylor's activities were used by then-presidential candidate Ronald Reagan, for his 1976 presidential campaign onwards, to illustrate his criticisms of social programs in the United States.[1] Her criminal activities are believed to have extended beyond welfare fraud and may have included assault, theft, insurance fraud, bigamy, kidnapping, and possibly even murder.[2][3]

Identity and early life

Taylor was born to Lydia Mooney White in

black, but Lydia White could have been convicted of a felony under Alabama's law against interracial relationships if she admitted this.[6]

Throughout her life, Taylor

Reverend' and posing as a nurse, a doctor, and a spiritual adviser who used Haitian Vodou.[2][3]

Arrest, trial and media coverage

On August 8, 1974, Taylor filed a police report claiming that she had been robbed of $14,000—equivalent to $86,000 in 2023—in "cash, jewelry, and furs".[7] Chicago Detectives Jack Sherwin and Jerry Kush, who took the report, recognized her from a similar, previous report and she came under suspicion for false reporting, for which she was later charged. Additionally, Taylor was suspected of welfare fraud after Sherwin found welfare payment checks made out to multiple different names in her apartment.[8][9]

Upon investigating her, Sherwin discovered Taylor was wanted on welfare fraud charges in

Illinois state legislature and between Governor Dan Walker and his opponents, with the Taylor case being cited to support of claims about welfare fraud being out of control.[8]

Upon her return to Illinois, prosecutors opened a 31-count indictment against Taylor for fraud, perjury and bigamy, alleging that she had received welfare and Social Security checks under multiple names.[7] Her attorney, R. Eugene Pincham, managed to delay the trial until March 1977, by which time the charges had been considerably reduced. Initial allegations involving 80 aliases and over $100,000 in fraudulently obtained funds had been narrowed to charges involving $8,000—equivalent to $40,000 in 2023—obtained through four aliases,[1] and charges of perjury in her testimony before a grand jury. The bigamy charges were dropped. After a trial lasting less than three weeks, the jury deliberated for about seven hours before finding her guilty on March 17, 1977.[2][10] Taylor was sentenced to imprisonment for two to six years on the welfare fraud charges, and a year on the perjury charges, to be served consecutively. She began her sentence at Dwight Correctional Center on February 16, 1978.[2]

New Hampshire primary, Reagan claimed her income had been $150,000—equivalent to $803,000 in 2023—a year, a figure which was derived from a Chicago Tribune report.[1][2]

After he had lost the Republican nomination to Gerald Ford, Reagan said in an October radio broadcast that "her take is estimated at a million dollars", a claim which, according to her biographer Josh Levin, appears to be unsourced. Other claims Reagan made about her "three new cars", including a Cadillac, were true. Her fraudulent claims have since been estimated at $40,000—equivalent to $187,000 in 2023—over a number of years. However, she was only charged with stealing about $8,000 because of difficulties with assembling verifiable evidence.[2][11]

Other suspected crimes

Taylor was believed to be a kidnapper, and possibly a murderer, but these offenses were never properly substantiated through an investigation.

Paul Joseph Fronczak, from the Michael Reese Hospital in Chicago in late April 1964.[13] Taylor's son has said that his mother frequently took other people's children, and law enforcement also suspected her in the case.[2][13] Based on the results of genetic testing, Fronczak was confirmed to be living in Michigan in December 2019.[14]

Later years and death

Taylor was released from prison on

heart attack on April 18, 2002, at Ingalls Memorial Hospital outside Chicago. Her remains were cremated.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c "'Welfare Queen' Becomes Issue in Reagan Campaign". The New York Times. February 15, 1976. p. 51. Reprinted from The Washington Star.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Levin, Josh (December 19, 2013). "The Welfare Queen". Slate. Retrieved May 19, 2019.
  3. ^ a b c Demby, Gene (December 20, 2013). "The Truth Behind The Lies Of The Original 'Welfare Queen'". NPR. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
  4. ^ Levin 2019, pp. 196–198
  5. ^ Levin 2019, p. 201
  6. ^ Levin 2019, pp. 199–200
  7. ^ a b "Alleged 'Welfare Queen' Is Accused of $154,000 Ripoff". Jet. Vol. 47, no. 13. Johnson Publishing Company. December 19, 1974. pp. 16–17.
  8. ^ a b Miller, Dan (March 13, 1977). "The Chutzpah Queen". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
  9. On The Media. December 20, 2013. Archived from the original
    on April 18, 2015. Retrieved April 10, 2015.
  10. ^ "Welfare Queen Guilty". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Associated Press. March 17, 1977.
  11. ^ a b Levin, Josh (May 17, 2019). "How the 'Welfare Queen' Was Born". The New York Times. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
  12. ^ Levin, Josh (May 13, 2019). "The Queen". Slate. Retrieved May 19, 2019.
  13. ^ a b Levin, Josh (March 20, 2014). "Kidnapping the News". Slate. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
  14. ^ Bradley, Ben; WGN Investigates (December 18, 2019). "Newborn baby abducted from Chicago hospital 55 years ago found living in Michigan". WGN-TV.
  15. ^ Levin 2019, p. 270
  16. ^ Levin 2019, p. 271
  17. ^ Levin 2019, pp. 108–109

Works cited

External links
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