A former U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer and his fiancée have been sentenced to probation for stealing over $25,000 from public benefits programs.
A Yuma County Superior Court judge on August 12, 2026, sentenced a now-former U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agent, Saul Rivas Hau and his fiancée, Hilda Sanchez, to 36 months of supervised probation and ordered them to pay $26,424 in restitution after both pleaded guilty to Class 4 felony theft, which occurred while CBP employed Hau.
The indictment alleged the pair conspired to defraud the Arizona Department of Economic Security (AZDES) by unlawfully obtaining Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits between March 11, 2022, and August 30, 2025, and Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) benefits between February 13, 2023, and January 16, 2024.
"Programs like SNAP and WIC exist to help Arizona families put food on the table — not to be exploited for personal gain,"
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes said in a statement. "My office will continue working with our federal and state partners to hold accountable anyone who defrauds these important programs."
A state grand jury had indicted Hau and Sanchez on multiple charges, including conspiracy, fraudulent schemes and artifices, theft, and forgery.
11 24 2025 Signed True Bill Rivas by scott.mcclallen
The total loss to the programs exceeded $25,000.
SNAP helps feed about 41 million Americans with low incomes to buy groceries nationwide but retailers, recipients, and others loot the program by lying about their income, trading benefits for cash, trading items like alcohol, tobacco, and lottery tickets for benefits, and more.
11_24_25_Signed_True_Bill_.01 by scott.mcclallen
The duo were caught in a federal fraud sweep by the Trump administration, which has focused on stopping people who steal from taxpayers.
JUST DROPPED: A new friendly neighborhood fraud tracker, tracking all the fraud we've webbed up. 🕷️
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) August 13, 2026
➡️ https://t.co/iBwRv9bucp 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/ULy5qdHiH6
Fraud is not a victimless crime. @DrOzCMS says it best: “Every dollar lost to fraud is a dollar that can’t go to a child who needs care, a senior who needs medication, or a family waiting for treatment.”
— White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud (@WHFraudTF) August 14, 2026
That’s why @VP Vance is uniting the government to fight fraud, protect… https://t.co/xCwhiVpdAi
This pair stole about $25,000, but others have reportedly stolen millions of dollars.
🚨 TUESDAY TAKEDOWN 🚨
— Secretary Brooke Rollins (@SecRollins) August 11, 2026
A $1.5 MILLION SNAP fraud scheme has been busted in Albany, New York.
Our @USDA investigators found Top 10 Deli & Grocery allegedly:
💳 Used stolen SNAP account numbers from recipients across state lines
🚬 Allowed benefits to purchase… pic.twitter.com/uoGqXn3fSk
The case was investigated by the CBP Office of Professional Responsibility (CBP OPR), the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General (USDA OIG), and AZDES, with support from the Arizona Department of Public Safety (AZDPS).
Assistant Attorney General Mariana B. Sanchez prosecuted the case.
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