Bullard Woman Gets Six Months for SNAP Fraud

TYLER, TX – Monica Bunch, 42, of Bullard, Texas, is trading freedom for a federal prison cell after being sentenced for her central role in a brazen food stamp fraud scheme. U.S. District Judge Michael H. Schneider handed down a six-month sentence today, alongside orders for restitution and forfeiture, bringing a measure of justice to a case that drained over $72,000 from a vital assistance program.

The Department of Justice announced that Bunch, also known as Monica Hernandez, pleaded guilty on August 8, 2013, to conspiracy to unlawfully use, transfer, acquire, and possess SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits. From January 2007 through March 31, 2012, Bunch exploited her position as a clerk with the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) in Jacksonville, Texas, to pilfer benefits from vulnerable individuals.

Bunch wasn’t acting alone. The indictment revealed a network of co-conspirators, including Ernest Grady, 47, Evelyn Whitaker, 47, Genoveve Servin, 49, Maria Silva, 50, and Maria Delrosario Padron a/k/a “Chayo”, 38, all of Jacksonville. Bunch identified dormant SNAP accounts – those belonging to people who had moved or were no longer utilizing the benefits. She then manufactured replacement Lone Star cards, forging documents to cover her tracks.

The scheme was simple, but effective. Bunch sold these illicit cards to her co-conspirators at half the value of the benefits loaded on them. She also provided the PIN numbers, allowing the group to purchase food from retailers in Jacksonville and Tyler, effectively stealing from a program intended for those in genuine need. The total cost to the U.S. Department of Agriculture: $72,846.09, all of which Bunch is now ordered to repay.

“SNAP is an expensive and vitally important aid program that assists deserving individuals and families who might otherwise go hungry,” stated U.S. Attorney John M. Bales. “Hopefully, the felony conviction and sentencing to prison of Monica Bunch sends a message to anyone who thinks they can rip off the American taxpayer – you will be held to account.” The USDA Office of Inspector General-Investigations, along with the U.S. Secret Service and the Texas HHSC Office of Inspector General-Internal Affairs, conducted the investigation.

Special Agent-in-Charge Mary L. Lewis of the USDA-OIG emphasized the agency’s commitment to combating fraud. “The United States Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General-Investigations is dedicated to combating fraud and abuses in SNAP,” she said. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathaniel C. Kummerfeld prosecuted the case, securing the conviction and sentence that sends a clear signal: exploiting those in need won’t be tolerated.