A few months ago we reported on a Ghanaian woman living in the US who decided to apply her critical thinking skills to commit fraud, which led to her arrest and being hit with serious charges in court.

Vida Causey appeared in court on Tuesday, pleading guilty to three charges of conspiracy to commit Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits fraud, SNAP fraud and money laundering.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is one the US government’s welfare programs, formerly known as the food stamps. Vida who owns a J&W Aseda Plaza, a convenience store on Main Street in the city bought Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) funds from people, paying 50 cents for a SNAP worth a dollar and then later have the USDA electronically deposit the full money into bank accounts she owned.

Over four years, she garnered $3,638,900 through her fraudulent activities, until a thorough investigation brought her down.

The Telegram reports…

“A plea agreement submitted by the prosecution noted that the government has already seized about $125,000 from various bank accounts in the defendant’s name, and the agreement obliges Ms. Causey to pay the remainder of the money plus fines.

“Judge Timothy S. Hillman accepted the guilty plea and scheduled Ms. Causey to return to court for sentencing in March. Ms. Causey could face up to 35 years in prison for the charges, but defense lawyer Edward P. Ryan Jr. said that in a plea agreement, the prosecutor had recommended a sentence of 4 years for the charges in a plea agreement. The plea agreement also recommends 3 years of probation, according to court documents. Mr. Ryan said he would recommend a lesser sentence in March. He said Ms. Causey had no comment on the case.”