A Brady Township woman faces a hearing this month on charges that she illegally obtained more than $1,200 in public assistance benefits.

The Pennsylvania Inspector General's Office charged 43-year-old Beth A. Hayes with welfare fraud last week.

Between July 1 and Dec. 31, 2017, according to authorities, she fraudulently collected $1,266 in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, formerly known as food stamps.

Authorities said Hayes was not entitled to the assistance because she under reported her income to the state Department of Human Services.

She is charged with a second-degree misdemeanor count of fraudulently receiving public assistance.

If convicted, the maximum penalty she faces is two years in prison and a fine of $5,000, plus a mandatory disqualification period from the benefits program she allegedly defrauded.

Hayes' preliminary hearing is set for Dec. 17 at the office of District Judge William Fullerton in Butler.