Con artist millionaire couple allegedly scams $165K in welfare

A couple on the run might call each other "Lord" and "Lady," but the welfare scam police say they pulled was anything but noble.

'A Minnesota couple on the run accused of collecting thousands of dollars in public assistance to fuel a lavish lifestyle that includes a mansion and a $1 million yacht. This morning, the self-proclaimed royals are on the run with their 7-year-old son.'

According to Daily Mail, police accuse 62-year-old Colin Chisholm and 54-year-old Andrea Chisholm of receiving more than $165,000 from Minnesota public assistance programs between January 2005 and March 2012 even though the couple had roughly $3 million in secret bank accounts.

WBBH reports the couple was living it up, spending thousands on luxury goods in just a few weeks, according to authorities.

'That included $23,000 worth of plane tickets, cell phone bills and fine dining in just one month.'

WCCO reports the couple listed Andrea's mother's home in Minneapolis as their residence when they first applied for welfare. Then, once approved, the couple moved to Florida where they lived on their $1.2 million yacht for more than two years before moving into a house.

But police say the couple didn't stop at Minnesota -- and that's when they made a mistake.

According to KARE, the couple was also receiving welfare payments from the state of Florida after they listed a Connecticut address, which actually turned out to be a UPS store.

The Chisholms are each charged with one felony count of wrongfully obtaining more than $35,000 in public assistance. Currently, the con artist duo is on the run, but a Minnesota county attorney predicts the Chisholms are soaking up the sun somewhere warm.

'This office is going to do every darn thing we can do to make sure these people do hard time.'

Daily Mail says the maximum sentence for the couple, if convicted, would be a $100,000 fine and 20 years in the slammer.