Today, June 2, 2010, the Honorable Judge James Hollman sentenced five defendants on three different welfare fraud cases, totaling over $60,000 in fraud.

Case #1: Monte, 20, and John Kuntz, 22, from Porterville, had previously on March 10, 2010 pled no contest to one count of welfare fraud and one count of perjury, both felonies arising from their receipt of aid by misrepresentation. They were sentenced today to three years suspended state prison, 365 days custody, and placed on five years probation. They were also ordered to pay back $46,078.00 and $21,287.00, respectively, in restitution to the Tulare County Health and Human Services Agency.

Investigation uncovered that, between March 2004 and December 2007, the defendants, aged 30 and 32, fraudulently received cash aid and food stamps for themselves and their family. They failed to report an over $40,000 settlement and access to a trust account worth approximately half a million dollars. This case was investigated by Rose Denny of the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office Bureau of Investigations, and prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Marisa Maclennan.

Case #2: Sol Yvette Garcia, 26 from Visalia, pled guilty to one count of welfare fraud and one count of perjury on May 12, 2010, and was sentenced today to 180 days, and placed on probation for five years. She was ordered to pay back $14,933.00 to Tulare County HHSA. The defendant was overpaid cash aid and food stamps when she failed to report her income between July 2007 and June 2009. This case was investigated by Beatriz Reveles of the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office Bureau of Investigations, and prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Marisa Maclennan.

Case #3: Anna Sophia Flores-Arzola, 24, and Armando Guadalupe Sandoval, 23, of Tulare pled no contest on May 10, 2010 to one count of felony welfare fraud and were sentenced today to 90 days and 180 days, respectively, and five years probation. The defendants were ordered to pay $3,978.00 in restitution to Tulare County HHSA. They fraudulently received cash aid and food stamps by failing to report income on their quarterly reports between January and June 2008. This case was investigated by Chris Brantley of the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office Bureau of Investigations, and prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Marisa Maclennan.

Contact Person: Assistant District Attorney, Shani D. Jenkins, (559) 733-6411.