A man and a woman are wanted, accused of a scheme where they used other people’s SNAP benefits to buy products for a store they ran out of their apartment.
Joel Pizano and Maria Delgado have been accused of violating the electronic system of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The Texas Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General charged the two after conducting an investigation.
According to court filings, the two have been involved in the plan since January 2019.
On October 14, 2024, authorities investigated EBT transaction data and discovered that someone used an EBT card to make three purchases at a Sam’s Club. There were two $650 charges and one $600 charge on the card. Through video surveillance, law enforcement discovered that the things purchased were mass quantities of drinks, chips, and other munchies.
On October 24, 2024, it was revealed that the same EBT card was used to make large purchases of various drinks and snacks. Authorities obtained information on the membership used to make the purchases. Pizano was the registrant. The membership also listed Delgado and another individual. However, the EBT card used to make the purchases belonged to someone other than the two.
According to court documents, law enforcement was also unable to locate any records of any businesses the two may have owned.
In January 2025, law enforcement examined recent EBT transactions and discovered that the same card had been used in November, December, and January to make big purchases. Camera footage shows Pizano and Delgado making purchases from Sam’s Club. The same thing happened in March.
According to court filings, authorities obtained Pizano’s Sam’s Club transaction history through a subpoena and discovered that 17 distinct EBT cards were fraudulently used to make approximately $75,000 in purchases over a six-year period.
The woman whose EBT card was being used was interviewed, and she admitted to investigators that she sold Pizano and Delgado her card. The two paid her between $200 and $300 for the card, which she told investigators she sold to pay for non-food items. She also informed detectives that the two ran a store from their apartment.
Investigators came to the two’s residence, and when Delgado answered the door, she urged Pizano to step outside. The papers reveal that investigators found a sales rack filled with various foods in the living room.
According to the records, Pizano remained fairly silent during the interrogation, while Delgado allegedly admitted to someone in their apartment complex beginning to sell them their benefits but claimed she didn’t know them. According to the records, she also denied making a profit from the trade but did admit to occasionally purchasing a package of meat for herself.
Delgado also allegedly informed investigators that they utilized EBT benefits that did not belong to them to purchase products and then sell them from their residence, according to the documents.
According to the records, during the interview, two young girls approached Pizano and Delgado and asked to buy something, but they were turned down.
The authorities have accepted the charges against the two, yet they remain out of custody.