LAKE COUNTY, Fla. – A Tavares man has pleaded guilty to stealing more than $73,000 in government food assistance benefits and aggravated identity theft, federal prosecutors announced.
Jose Valles Villamizar, 29, faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for theft of government funds and a mandatory consecutive two-year sentence for aggravated identity theft. He has also agreed to forfeit $73,655.27 — the proceeds of his criminal conduct. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
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How the scheme worked
According to court documents, Villamizar fraudulently used $73,655.27 in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits. He personally used the benefits and helped others fraudulently use them as well.
SNAP is a U.S. Department of Agriculture program that helps low-income individuals and families by providing monthly benefits to purchase food. Benefits are distributed through Electronic Benefit Transfer, or EBT, cards.
Between September 2023 and February 2025, 650 SNAP applications were submitted in the names of various individuals. All the applications listed residential and mailing addresses associated with Villamizar.
Once the applications were approved, SNAP benefits were issued under the names of the applicants. The USDA later obtained surveillance footage of Villamizar using the SNAP benefit EBT cards issued in those other names.
Federal fraud crackdown
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division, known as the Fraud Division. The division focuses on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against Americans.
The department’s anti-fraud work supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a government-wide effort chaired by Vice President JD Vance to eliminate fraud, waste and abuse within federal benefit programs.