YUMA, AZ (AZFamily) — A former U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent and his fiancée have been sentenced for defrauding food assistance programs in Arizona.
Saul Rivas Hau and Hilda Sanchez each received 36 months of supervised probation and were ordered to pay $26,424 in restitution after pleading guilty to felony theft in Yuma County Superior Court, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes announced Thursday.
Prosecutors say the two conspired to fraudulently collect Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits from March 2022 through August 2025, and Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) benefits from February 2023 through January 2024.
Saul Rivas Hau (left) and Hilda Sanchez (right) were sentenced to 36 months of supervised probation and ordered to pay more than $26,000 in restitution after pleading guilty to felony theft for defrauding Arizona food assistance programs.(Attorney General Kris Mayes)
The total loss to the programs surpassed $25,000, with the crimes committed all while Hau was employed as a CBP agent.
A state grand jury had previously indicted both on charges including conspiracy, fraudulent schemes, theft and forgery.
“Programs like SNAP and WIC exist to help Arizona families put food on the table — not to be exploited for personal gain,” Mayes said in a written statement. “My office will continue working with our federal and state partners to hold accountable anyone who defrauds these important programs.”
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