Loxahatchee Couple Scammed Feds Out of $500K

LOXAHATCHEE, FL – Gloria Nereida Valle-Clas, 49, and her husband, Alexander Gonzalez, 41, of Loxahatchee, are facing the consequences after a brazen decade-long scheme to fleece the federal government. The pair were sentenced today in West Palm Beach, a culmination of an investigation that exposed a sophisticated network of lies and stolen identities.

Valle-Clas received a hefty 51 months in prison, along with three years of supervised release and a staggering $283,359.43 in restitution. Gonzalez, complicit in the scheme, will spend 364 days behind bars, followed by three years of supervised release, and is ordered to pay $9,999 in restitution. The sentences were handed down by United States Senior District Judge Kenneth L. Ryskamp.

Court records reveal Valle-Clas employed two social security numbers – one under her birth name, “Nereida Valle,” and another, “Gloria Lopes Clas.” From December 2003 to January 2013, she systematically exploited the system, raking in nearly $500,000 in federal housing, social security, food assistance, cash benefits, and medical aid from HUD, SSA, USDA, and HHS. Simultaneously, using the “Gloria Lopes Clas” SSN, she secured mortgage loans and purchased real estate across Broward and Palm Beach Counties.

The scheme wasn’t limited to simply collecting benefits. As “Gloria Clas,” Valle-Clas flipped two Broward County properties for a profit exceeding $200,000. She then purchased over an acre of land in Loxahatchee, constructing a 2,700 square-foot residence. A $200,000 home equity line of credit (HELOC) was secured against the property, but quickly defaulted, leaving a $150,000 debt. Gonzalez actively aided Valle-Clas in securing these housing benefits, solidifying his role in the fraud.

Investigators uncovered that Valle-Clas, who legally changed her name from “Nereida Valle” to “Gloria Nereida Valle-Clas” in 2003, operated under approximately 12 aliases, primarily variations of her two used names. This intricate web of false identities allowed her to continue the fraud undetected for years. The investigation was a joint effort led by Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and several federal agencies including HUD-OIG, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, SSA-OIG, USDA-OIG, and HHS-OIG.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Carolyn Bell is prosecuting the case. The feds are sending a clear message: exploiting taxpayer-funded programs will be met with swift and severe justice. Details of the case, including court documents, are available on the websites of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida (http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls) and the District Court for the Southern District of Florida (http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov).