Raul Carlos Monarca-Gonzalez, Food Stamp Fraud, CT 2023

Grimey Times, Waterbury – A despicable act of financial deceit has landed Raul Carlos Monarca-Gonzalez, 40, a native of Mexico, behind bars. The 30-month federal sentence imposed by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant in Hartford is a harsh penalty for the egregious food stamp fraud that Monarca-Gonzalez committed at WB Trade Fair Grocery on Willow Street.

Monarca-Gonzalez, who has been detained since his arrest in August 2016, pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful use of food stamp benefits and one count of conspiracy to commit food stamp fraud. His fraudulent activities spanned from November 2014 until June 2016, during which he and others allowed customers to redeem their SNAP benefits for cash and other ineligible items.

The grocery store’s potential legal redemption limit was a paltry $120,000 to $240,000 annually. Yet, in just 18 months, the total amount of food stamp redemptions at WB Trade Fair Grocery soared to an astonishing $3.2 million. Monarca-Gonzalez’s sentence includes a mandatory three years of supervised release.

United States Attorney Deirdre M. Daly announced the sentence, emphasizing that the Supplemental Nutrition and Assistance Program (SNAP) is designed to provide low-income households with the means to purchase nutritious food items, not as a conduit for cash and prohibited goods. SNAP benefits cannot be legally exchanged for cash under any circumstances.

Monarca-Gonzalez has been ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $1,550,756. Following his release from prison, he will face immigration proceedings, marking the end of his American deception.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anastasia King and Neeraj Patel, ensuring that justice is served for the misdeeds committed against the SNAP program.