Lake County Man Pleads Guilty to Theft of Government Funds and Aggravated Identity Theft

Ocala, Florida – Jose Valles Villamizar (29, Tavares) has pleaded guilty to theft of government funds and aggravated identity theft. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment for the theft of government funds offense and a mandatory consecutive sentence of 2 years’ imprisonment for the aggravated identity theft offense. As part of his plea, Villamizar has also agreed to forfeit $73,655.27, which are traceable as the proceeds of his criminal conduct. A sentencing date has not yet been set. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement. According to court documents, Villamizar fraudulently used $73,655.27 in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (“SNAP”) benefits. He personally used the benefits and aided and abetted others to fraudulently use the benefits. SNAP, formerly known as the Food Stamp Program, is a United States Department of Agriculture (“USDA”) program established by the United States government to help low-income individuals and families by providing monthly benefits to purchase food items. SNAP benefits are issued to recipients through Electronic Benefit Transfer (“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 that were associated with Villamizar. Once the applications were approved, SNAP benefits were issued under the names of the applicants. The USDA subsequently obtained surveillance footage of Villamizar using the SNAP benefit EBT cards issued in the other names. On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs. This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture – Office of Inspector General, the Florida Department of Children and Families, and the Florida Division of Public Assistance Fraud. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Hannah Nowalk Watson.