Jolenta Apodaca, False Statements, South Dakota 2020
Rapid City Woman Sentenced for Making False Statements to Receive Government Funds
A 44-year-old Rapid City woman was sentenced to 6 months custody for making false statements to receive government funds in Rapid City, South Dakota.
Jolenta Apodaca, f/k/a Jolenta American Horse, was sentenced on August 3, 2020, by Jeffrey L. Viken, U.S. District Judge, after being convicted of two counts of False Statements, according to United States Attorney Ron Parsons.
Apodaca was ordered to pay restitution of $26,920 to the Social Security Administration (SSA) and $4,713 to the South Dakota Department of Social Services (SD DSS). She was also ordered to pay $200 in special assessments to the Federal Crime Victims Fund, in addition to her 2 years of supervised release following her 6-month sentence.
The case against Apodaca began when the Rapid City SSA Field Office was notified by a third party that she had gone to the SD DSS to apply for state benefits for her child, who had been living with the third party for several years. The third party reported that Apodaca's child had not lived with her for several years and that she received no funds from Apodaca or SSI for the care of the child.
An investigation by the Sioux Falls Cooperative Disability Investigation Unit (CDIU) corroborated that Apodaca, as the child's SSA approved Representative Payee (RP), had misused dedicated SSI funds (back payments) as well as monthly SSI payments, and had spent the funds on herself rather than her child. The investigation also found that Apodaca misused $4,713 in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits payable to the child.
The total amount of misused funds, determined by SSA, was $26,920, from September 1, 2016, through August 31, 2019. The case was investigated by the Office of the Inspector General – Social Security Administration, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Sazama prosecuting the case.
Key Facts
- State: South Dakota
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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