10 Columbia residents indicted on food stamp fraud charges

Richland County’s Grand Jury returned indictments for 11 South Carolina residents, including 10 from Columbia, according to a news release.

Officials believe applicants falsified information to obtain Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits or that local retailers allowed beneficiaries to use SNAP EBT card to obtain cash or improper items.

The following are charged with one count of fraudulent acquisition or use of food stamps: Robert Chestnut of Columbia, Brittany Seibles of Columbia, Alana James of Columbia, Latoya Thomas of North, Bessie Williams of Columbia, Davielle Thigpen of Columbia, Latoria Shannell Myers of Columbia, Hayley Nicole Singleton of Columbia, Kristine Darlene Pressley of Columbia, Becky Shawnell Brimfield of Columbia and Tineta Natalie Kinloch of Columbia.

Chestnut, Seibles, Kinloch and James are charged with the highest felony and could face a $5,000 fine and 10 years in prison, according to a news release from S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson’s office.

An investigator from the S.C. Department of Social Services conducted the investigations. DSS oversees SNAP, which helps provide food to more than 300,000 low-income families across the state. SNAP is formerly known as the food stamps program.

This story was originally published April 18, 2016 at 2:23 PM with the headline "10 Columbia residents indicted on food stamp fraud charges."