Two Texas women have been convicted of conspiracy and committing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) fraud totaling $1.2 million.
Maria Consuelo de Ureno and Ana Rioja — both residents of Brownsville — pleaded guilty to the fraud in 2021.
A district judge sentenced Ureno to 37 months in prison with another 3-year term of supervised release to follow. Ureno is also facing the possibility of losing her legal status in the United States. She will also pay $1,284,282.15 in restitution.
For her role in the fraud, Rioja received 30 months in prison to be followed by 1 year of supervised release. The judge also ordered her to pay $975,401 in restitution.
Both women received their sentencing on March 10.
According to CBS 11 News, investigation into the fraud began in 2016. Rioja and Ureno, alongside other conspirators, traded SNAP benefits for cash by using a point of sale device at a local meat market that belonged to Rioja.
During the investigation, authorities discovered Ureno and co-conspirators carried out fraudulent transactions at Sam’s Wholesale Club.
Overall, investigators found 715 fraudulent transactions linked to 83 different SNAP benefit recipients.
Per investigators, Ureno’s fraudulent purchases comprised 22 tons of pinto beans, 1.4 tons of instant mashed potatoes, more than 5,000 gallons of mayonnaise, 1.6 tons of coffee, and over 49 tons of American cheese slices.
Investigators said that Ureno sold those items to her partner in Mexico.
Investigators revealed that Rioja and Ureno carried out fraudulent transactions of around $1.2 million between September 2014 and August 2019.