A Miami couple is facing charges for allegedly generating fraudulent public assistance accounts for profit.
Former Department of Children and Families employee, Clara T. Builes, 54, and her husband, Gonzalo A. Builes, 56, were arrested on charges of grand theft and public assistance fraud.
Clara allegedly used her position with DCF to misappropriate public assistance benefits for a total of more than $19,000 between May 2011 and April 2015.
An investigation revealed she conspired with her husband to defraud the Department of Children and Families by reopening closed public assistance cases of individuals Clara knew resided outside of the United States.
She is accused of manipulating public assistance records and providing her husband with specific demographic information to help him complete and submit online web applications with the victims' personal information to generate fraudulent EBT cards.
Authorities said Gonzalo mailed the fraudulent EBT cards to a co-worker's address, and used them at various ATM machines. Food assistance benefits were redeemed at Publix Supermarkets and Costco Wholesale.
The couple turned themselves in to the Miami Division of Insurance Fraud where they were placed under arrest and transferred to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Facility.
Clara will be charged with official misconduct, grand theft and criminal use of personal identification information. Criminal charges for Gonzalo include grand theft and public assistance fraud.
