DOJ: Woman sentenced for defrauding SNAP of more than $325K

A woman has been sentenced for reportedly defrauding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) of more than $325,000, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).

LaTasha Thomas, 39, was sentenced to one year in prison followed by a year of supervised release for one count of mail fraud. She is also ordered to repay $325,159 in restitution to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office says that LaTasha, along with her daughter, Ambrosia Thomas, and another relative, Cynthia Thomas, created temporary driver’s licenses using fake names and then submitted them to Hennepin County to apply for Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards.

The women said in their applications that they were experiencing “high risk pregnancy” and created fake doctor’s notes, the DOJ said.

In many of the applications, officials said the Thomases directed the state to send the EBT cards to Cynthia’s apartment in Roseville, where she lived under a fake name. When law enforcement searched the apartment, they found several pieces of mail addressed to pseudonyms used in the scheme.

The women then reportedly withdrew funds from ATMS and used them to make purchases, according to the DOJ. They also marketed and sold the use of the EBTs to other people, arranging for them to pick up the card, use a portion of the monthly allotment, return the card and then pay the woman a fee, typically between 50-60%.

The case was investigated by the FBI and the Hennepin County Fraud Unit.
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