Former Border Patrol agent and fiancée sentenced for defrauding SNAP, WIC programs

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) - Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes said a Border Patrol agent and his fiancée have been sentenced to 36 months of supervised probation.

In a press release, Saul Rivas Hau and Hilda Sanchez pleaded guilty to stealing more than $26,000 in federal food assistance benefits.

Attorney General Mayes said Hau and Sanchez were indicted by a state grand jury on multiple charges, which includes conspiracy, fraudulent schemes and artifices, theft and forgery.

The indictment alleged the couple "conspired to defraud the Arizona Department of Economic Security 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." according to a press release.

"Programs like SNAP and WIC exist to help Arizona families put food on the table...not to be exploited for personal gain," Mayes expressed. "My office will continue working with our federal and state partners to hold accountable anyone who defrauds these important programs."

In addition to pleading guilty to theft, the couple, according to Mayes, were ordered to pay more than $26,000 in restitution.