A Minnesota woman was sentenced to one year in jail last week for defrauding the federal government of over $325,000 in federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.
Latasha Thomas, 39, was guilty of one count of mail fraud and will have to pay restitution to the United States Department of Agriculture, U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen stated Friday.
Over two years, Latasha Thomas conspired with her daughter, Ambrosia Thomas, and another relative, Cynthia Thomas, to unlawfully obtain Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards, which are issued by the state government to qualified applicants and loaded with SNAP funds on a monthly basis, according to the Justice Department.
Federal authorities allege that the trio used phony names to construct bogus Minnesota temporary drivers’ licenses, each of which featured one of the Thomases.
The forged licenses were presented to Hennepin County with applications for EBT cards. The Thomases regularly claimed to be women undergoing a “high risk pregnancy,” believing that their SNAP allotments could be increased if the alleged beneficiaries were placed on bedrest, according to prosecutors.
Furthermore, they filed forged doctor’s notes in an attempt to increase their theft of government funds.
The state sent the EBT cards to Cynthia Thomas’ apartment in Roseville. She allegedly lived there under a phony identity, Sofia Gold, which appears on one of the scheme’s fraudulent cards.
When the authorities investigated the residence, they discovered many pieces of mail addressed to pseudonyms employed in the operation.
According to officials, notes indicating that mail should be carried to Cynthia’s apartment for numerous of the pseudonyms used in the scam were discovered inside the apartment building’s mailbox, which is only accessible to building management and mail carriers.
The trio took government funds from ATMs and used them to make purchases. They allegedly promoted and sold the use of EBT cards to others, arranging for their customers to pick up an EBT card, use a predetermined percentage of its monthly allocation, and then return the card.
Customers agreed to pay the conspirators a charge, generally between 50 and 60 percent, for the privilege.
After serving her term, Thomas was forced to pay $325,159 in restitution to the US Department of Agriculture.
Cynthia Thomas was sentenced to three years probation in December after being convicted of mail fraud conspiracy last year, according to Alpha News. According to the news outlet, Ambrosia Thomas has consented to plead guilty to mail fraud, and her case is currently pending sentencing.
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