Salinas woman pleads guilty to felony welfare fraud

SALINAS, Calif. (KION) A Salinas woman pleaded guilty to felony welfare fraud Tuesday, according to the Monterey County District Attorney's Office.

Between December 2017 and April 2019, the District Attorney's Office found that 34-year-old Maria Carmen Lucas was employed at Salinas Sunrise, but was receiving cash aid and food stamps, claiming she was unemployed and needed them to support her family.

The DA's Office said Lucas misrepresented her employment and income, which was above the income threshold level to receive benefits, on her eligibility status reports and to the Department of Social Services. It reportedly resulted in an over-payment of benefits of $11,473.

Lucas is facing three years of felony probation, up to a year in jail and an order to pay back the loss to the Department of Social Services. Her sentencing is scheduled for April.