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ATG NEWS RELEASE: Oahu jury finds prior welfare fraud offender guilty of felony theft in food benefits scam

Posted on Oct 27, 2016 in Latest Department News

HONOLULU – Attorney General Doug Chin announced that a jury yesterday found Mary Jane Delgado Ponce guilty of theft in the second degree, a class C felony, for obtaining thousands of dollars in food benefits from the state of Hawaii by deception.

From April 1, 2010 through April 30, 2014, Ponce, also known as Mary Jane Dalumpinis, was overpaid $3,723.00 in benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Ponce was overpaid because she did not disclose to state officials that she was married.

Deputy Attorney General Karen Droscoski said, “By misstating her family circumstances, Ponce stole almost $4,000.00 that could have gone to other needy families.”

Attorney General Chin said “People gaming the system take advantage of those most in need, and will be prosecuted by the State.”

Sentencing is set for January 10, 2017, and punishable by a maximum five year prison sentence.  Ponce was previously convicted of welfare fraud in 2009 and charged as a repeat offender.

SNAP is administered by the state Department of Human Services.  It provides food and nutritional support to qualifying low-income and needy households. In fiscal year 2014, SNAP helped an estimated 193,565 state residents (98,440 families).

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For more information, contact:

Joshua A. Wisch

Special Assistant to the Attorney General

(808) 586-1284

[email protected]

https://ag.hawaii.gov