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PHX man, wife get jail in food stamps fraud case

Posted at 9:23 PM, Feb 08, 2016
and last updated 2016-02-08 23:23:11-05

A Phoenix couple has each been sentenced to six months in jail and ordered to jointly pay more than $94,000 restitution in a food stamps fraud case.

The Arizona Attorney General's Office announced Monday that George Cortez and his wife, Robin Cortez, pleaded guilty to two counts of unlawful use of food stamps and one count of fraudulent schemes and artifices.

They say George Cortez applied for food stamps and other benefits for himself and his two children in 2010, claiming his wife lived in a separate residence.

An Arizona Department of Economic Security investigation later determined the couple lived together and were ineligible for the benefits.

Prosecutors say Robin Cortez wrote and signed letters as her husband's purported landlord. She will begin her jail sentence on Sept. 1.