Thread: Austin woman charged with welfare fraud of more than $30,000

Austin News
Austin woman charged with welfare fraud of more than $30,000
4/18/2007 12:14:41 PM
By Tim Ruzek

The Post-Bulletin

An Austin woman is wanted by authorities for illegally accepting more than $30,000 in welfare overpayments from Mower County Human Services.

Shaunna Christine Quetzecua, 22, allegedly got about $30,326 in public assistance -- cash, food stamps and medical assistance -- between Aug. 1, 2005, and March 31, 2007, according to a criminal complaint filed recently in Mower District Court. She's charged with felony wrongfully obtaining assistance.

In September, a Mower County detective got a welfare-fraud referral from human services indicating Quetzecua is married to Ruperto Romero Quetzecua, an undocumented immigrant working at Quality Pork Processors in Austin under the alias Mark Mejia, the complaint stated. In her job application to Select Foods in Albert Lea, however, Shaunna Quetzecua claimed to be married to Ruperto Quetzecua.

The referral stated Ruperto Quetzecua had worked at QPP since his family moved in July 2005 to Austin, the complaint says.

Ruperto Quetzecua, 24, also now is charged with felony aggravated forgery for using a false Minnesota ID card. A warrant has also been issued for his arrest.

On Feb. 28, authorities used a search warrant at the Quetzecuas' residence at 1403 12th St. S.W. and found Shaunna Quetzecua, who also hadn't informed human services that she owned three vehicles, the complaint stated. On that day, she told deputies she had sold two of the vehicles but human services wasn't informed of the income she earned from the sales.

Sheriff's officials then went to QPP to speak with Ruperto Quetzecua, who initially claimed to be Mejia and that he was only a friend of Shaunna Quetzecua, the complaint says. He, however, later gave his real name as Ruperto Quetzecua and admitted to being married to Shaunna Quetzecua.

A different welfare-fraud case was filed in December charging 29-year-old Carmela Hernandez-Mondragon with wrongfully obtaining assistance and aggravated forgery.

Hernandez-Mondragon, of Austin, allegedly collected more than $5,000 in welfare assistance from Mower County Human Services while working at QPP under an alias from November 2005 to October 2006. She is scheduled to return to court May
http://news.postbulletin.com/newsmanage ... 8&a=291122

NO! No way they're doing this......they're just here to work.... Probably filed taxes and got earned income credits too.....I can't wait till they research the milking we've taken on that too.

They have already obtained new forged documents and new alias names, moved and good luck finding them.