A Florida man admitted guilt in a large SNAP fraud case that involved hundreds of fake applications and tens of thousands of dollars, and federal prosecutors say this prosecution ties into a broader push to crack down on benefit fraud nationwide.
Jose Valles Villamizar, 29, of Tavares, has pleaded guilty to theft of government funds and aggravated identity theft. The charges carry a maximum 10-year sentence for the theft count plus a mandatory consecutive two-year term for aggravated identity theft. Federal officials have also announced a civil forfeiture demand of $73,655.27 tied to the scheme.
The court filing says Villamizar fraudulently used Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (“SNAP”) benefits and aided others in doing the same. Prosecutors say he personally accessed the benefits and helped arrange their misuse by third parties. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
Between September 2023 and February 2025, investigators say 650 SNAP applications were submitted in the names of various people. Those applications listed residential and mailing addresses linked to Villamizar, and when approvals arrived the benefits issued in those names were spent. Officials framed this as a coordinated identity-fraud operation aimed at diverting federal assistance.
The USDA obtained surveillance footage that reportedly shows Villamizar using Electronic Benefit Transfer cards tied to other people’s accounts. That video evidence became a key element in the investigation and helped tie him directly to the withdrawal and use of benefits. Prosecutors relied on that footage while building the case.
SNAP, formally the Food Stamp Program, is meant to help low-income Americans buy groceries each month. Officials note SNAP helps feed about 40 million people, but they also say the program has been targeted by organized fraud operatives. U.S. Department of Agriculture officials have been under pressure to tighten controls after high-profile enforcement actions.
The criminal case was publicly announced by U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe. Assistant United States Attorney Hannah Nowalk Watson is prosecuting the case. Federal agents and state partners worked together to develop the investigation and the charges.
Investigators on the case included the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General, the Florida Department of Children and Families, and the Florida Division of Public Assistance Fraud. Those agencies pooled records, surveillance, and benefit-trafficking data to trace where money moved and who used the EBT cards. Multiagency cooperation made it possible to identify patterns across dozens of approval files.
The Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”) on April 7 to focus prosecutions like this one. That unit is being presented as a central hub for tackling fraud against federal benefit programs. The announcement explicitly ties the new division to an administration priority on rooting out waste and abuse.
The Justice Department framed the Fraud Division’s work as supporting President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance. That task force is described as coordinating federal resources to find and stop fraud, waste, and abuse in benefit programs. Prosecutors say this case falls within that broader enforcement push.
Officials emphasized the message that exploiting benefit programs carries real consequences. The criminal counts here are serious: theft of government funds plus aggravated identity theft triggers mandatory consecutive prison time for the identity crime. Prosecutors have also moved to strip proceeds from Villamizar through the forfeiture of $73,655.27.
This prosecution follows other recent enforcement actions against organized benefit fraud networks and fraudulent merchants. Federal authorities point to a string of cases in multiple states as evidence of systemic vulnerabilities that attract criminals. The government’s response now leans on both prosecutions and new investigative units to deter repeat offenders.
https://x.com/USAO_MDFL/status/2082113440881967164
Local and federal investigators say the priority is protecting legitimate recipients while closing avenues for abuse. That means beefing up data integrity checks, surveillance, and interagency information sharing. Criminal referrals and prosecutions will remain tools to show that fraud will be pursued and punished.
