AUBURN — A judge Thursday ordered a Lewiston woman to undergo a competency evaluation, the same day she was due to be sentenced on welfare fraud charges.

Amina Ege, 46, of 105 Shawmut St. appeared in Androscoggin County Superior Court with a Somali interpreter and her attorney, Adam Sherman, who motioned that his client be evaluated for competency.

Ege was charged in 2013 with nearly 20 welfare fraud-related counts, including theft and forgery.

Three days before going to trial on those charges last year, Ege pleaded guilty to three misdemeanor charges, one count of theft by deception and two counts of possession of forgery devices.

Sitting with a Somali interpreter who translated English into her native language, Ege pleaded guilty in May 2017 to having stolen more than $500 from Maine and the federal government in benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program and Additional Support for People in Retraining program from August 2004 to September 2013.

Ege gave the false impression she hadn’t been living with Abdi Hassan, 47, that he wasn’t the father of her children and that he hadn’t been providing financial support to the household.

Ege also pleaded guilty to having forgery devices, apparatuses or equipment on June 5 and Nov. 30, 2012.

Her sentencing was continued Thursday by Judge Susan Oram, who ordered a competency examination for Ege and a transcript of her earlier plea for her attorney and prosecutors to review.

cwilliams@sunjournal.com

Amina Ege

Amina Ege appears in Androscoggin County Superior Court in Auburn on Thursday with her interpreter, Khasin Saban, and her attorney, Adam Sherman.