Des Moines, IA
A brazen scheme to defraud the U.S. government has landed an Iowa woman behind bars.
Cleotilde Puac-Gomez, a 46-year-old Guatemalan national residing in Clarion, Iowa, was sentenced to two months in federal prison for her role in the theft of U.S. government funds.
Puac-Gomez, who is an illegal alien, admitted to failing to report her husband’s income when applying for and receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid benefits between June 2012 and November 2017.
During this time, her husband, Melvin Rodriguez-Barrios, was working under an alias and using someone else’s social security number to obtain employment. By concealing the family’s true income, Puac-Gomez received $19,908.30 in overpayment of food stamps and other welfare benefits.
Rodriguez-Barrios, a 44-year-old illegal alien, was previously sentenced to six months’ imprisonment for his own crimes, including unlawful use of an identification document and misuse of a social security number.
Puac-Gomez was ordered to make $19,908.30 in restitution to the State of Iowa and serve a three-year term of supervised release following her prison term.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel C. Tvedt and investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, the United States Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General, and the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals Investigation Division – Economic Fraud Control Bureau.
Related Federal Cases
- Juan Bautista-Rubio, Aggravated Identity Theft, IA, 2014 · Pennsylvania
- Terry L. Gantt, ID Theft and Wire Fraud, Cedar Rapids IA, 2012 · Illinois
- Ronald Dwaine Carnes, Identity Theft and Firearm Possession, Waterl… · Pennsylvania
- Juan Bautista-Rubio, Aggravated Identity Theft, IA, 2023 · Washington
- Ronald Dwaine Carnes, Social Security Fraud and Identity Theft, Wat… · Pennsylvania
Key Facts
- State: Iowa
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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