Minnesota woman sentenced to prison for $325K SNAP fraud scheme

A Minnesota pistillate who defrauded the national authorities retired of much than $325,000 successful national Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits was sentenced past week to a twelvemonth successful prison. 

Latasha Thomas, 39, was convicted connected 1 number of message fraud and volition beryllium restitution to the United States Department of Agriculture, announced U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen connected Friday.

Latasha Thomas conspired with her daughter, Ambrosia Thomas, and different relative, Cynthia Thomas, implicit 2 years to unlawfully get Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards, which are issued by the authorities authorities to qualifying applicants and loaded monthly with wealth from SNAP, the Justice Department said. 

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A motion astatine a supermarket entranceway with substance speechmaking We Welcome EBT customers and a SNAP logo. A Minnesota pistillate defrauded the national authorities retired of much than $325,000 successful SNAP benefits, the Justice Department said.  (Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)

The trio created fake Minnesota impermanent drivers’ licenses utilizing mendacious names, with each licence picturing 1 of the Thomases, national prosecutors said. 

The fake licenses were submitted to Hennepin County successful applications for EBT cards. Believing their SNAP allotments could beryllium accrued if the purported recipients were confined to bedrest, the Thomases repeatedly claimed to beryllium women experiencing a "high hazard pregnancy," prosecutors said. 

In addition, they submitted fake doctor’s notes successful an effort to maximize their theft of authorities funds.

MISSISSIPPI AUDITOR WARNS WELFARE FRAUD IS 'INCREDIBLY EASY' AS $77M TRIAL BEGINS

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has travel nether occurrence for the monolithic magnitude of fraud uncovered successful his state.  (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

The EBT cards were sent by the authorities to Cynthia Thomas’s flat successful Roseville. She allegedly lived determination nether a mendacious name—Sofia Gold—that appears connected 1 of the scheme’s ill-begotten cards. 

When authorities searched the apartment, they recovered respective pieces of message addressed to pseudonyms utilized successful the scheme. 

In the wrong portion of the flat building’s mailbox—accessible lone to gathering absorption and message carriers—law enforcement recovered notes indicating that message should beryllium delivered to Cynthia’s flat for respective of the pseudonyms utilized successful the scheme, authorities said. 

The trio withdrew authorities funds from ATMs and utilized them to marque purchases. They besides marketed and sold the usage of the EBT cards to others, arranging for their customers to prime up an EBT card, usage an agreed-upon information of its monthly allotment, past instrumentality the card. 

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The customers agreed to wage the conspirators a fee, usually 50-60%, for the privilege.

After serving her sentence, Thomas was ordered to repay $325,159 successful restitution to the United States Department of Agriculture.

Cynthia Thomas was convicted past twelvemonth for message fraud conspiracy and was sentenced successful December to probation for 3 years, Alpha News reported. Ambrosia Thomas has agreed to plead blameworthy to message fraud, according to the quality outlet, and her lawsuit is inactive successful the pre-sentencing process.