WBRZ - Baton Rouge

BATON ROUGE - An East Feliciana Parish couple and four women from Livingston Parish have been sentenced for taking nearly $100,000 in ineligible food and child care assistance benefits.

James and Luchan Myles, both of Clinton, pled no contest to charges of illegally obtaining $35,823 in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) benefits.

Ms. Myles failed to report her husband and father of her children as a household member, and Mr. Myles provided false verification to DCFS in an effort to assist his wife in obtaining ineligible SNAP and CCAP benefits.

The two were sentenced to four years behind bars, which was suspended, and placed on four years of supervised probation and ordered to make full restitution to DCFS.

Penny Todd of Denham Springs pled guilty for failing to report her husband as a household member in order to receive $14,434 in SNAP benefits.

She was sentenced to two years of supervised probation, ordered to pay fines, fees, court costs and to make full restitution to DCFS.

Terica Jones of Walker was sentenced to five years of supervised probation after pleading guilty for receiving $6,889 in ineligible SNAP benefits by failing to report her husband as a household member. She was ordered to pay fines, fees, court costs and to make full restitution to DCFS.

Lolana Graves of Walker pled guilty for illegally obtaining $26,248 in SNAP benefits by failing to report her husband as a household member. She was sentenced her to serve five years behind bars, which was suspended, and was placed on five years of supervised probation and ordered her to make full restitution to DCFS.

Jennifer Maddox of Livingston was sentenced to five years supervised probation after pleading guilty for failing to report that her husband was living in her home, which allowed her to illegally receive $16,393 in SNAP benefits from April 2006 to March 2009. The court ordered that she pay fines, fees, court costs and make full restitution to DCFS.

If any of these individuals fail to pay restitution, the courts have the right to revoke their supervised probation and order them to serve actual jail time.