A former U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent and his fiancée fraudulently collected food assistance benefits for years while he was still working for the federal agency.
Saul Rivas Hau and Hilda Sanchez have now been sentenced after pleading guilty to Class 4 felony theft in Yuma County Superior Court, according to Arizona’s Family.
Prosecutors said the couple unlawfully obtained benefits through both the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, better known as WIC. The total loss to the programs exceeded $25,000.
A Yuma County Superior Court judge sentenced both Hau and Sanchez to 36 months of supervised probation on Aug. 12. They were also ordered to pay $26,424 in restitution.
The SNAP Benefits Continued for More Than Three Years
The Arizona Attorney General’s Office said Hau and Sanchez conspired to defraud the Arizona Department of Economic Security by unlawfully obtaining SNAP benefits from March 11, 2022, through Aug. 30, 2025. Their alleged conduct involving WIC covered a shorter but overlapping period. Prosecutors said the couple unlawfully obtained those benefits from Feb. 13, 2023, through Jan. 16, 2024.
Hau was employed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection while the theft occurred. The Attorney General’s Office now describes him as a former CBP agent. The investigation ultimately brought together agencies on both sides of that divide.
CBP’s Office of Professional Responsibility participated in the investigation alongside the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General and the Arizona Department of Economic Security. The Arizona Department of Public Safety provided additional support, while Assistant Attorney General Mariana B. Sanchez prosecuted the case for the state.
A Grand Jury Originally Charged Them With Several Offenses
The final guilty pleas were narrower than the original criminal case. A state grand jury had indicted Hau and Sanchez on multiple charges, including conspiracy, fraudulent schemes and artifices, theft and forgery. The case did not proceed to trial on that full set of counts. Both defendants ultimately pleaded guilty to Class 4 felony theft.
Their Aug. 12 sentencing therefore followed guilty pleas. Unlike defendants whose charges remain unresolved, Hau and Sanchez have admitted criminal liability through those pleas and now have felony theft convictions.
The Attorney General’s Office did not announce prison or jail terms as part of the sentences. Instead, the judge placed each defendant on supervised probation for three years. The state described the combined loss to SNAP and WIC as exceeding $25,000, while the court imposed a more precise restitution obligation of $26,424.
SNAP and WIC Were Both Part of the Case, but They Serve Different Purposes
Although both programs provide nutrition assistance, SNAP and WIC are separate programs with different eligibility structures and benefits.
SNAP provides eligible households with benefits that can be used to purchase qualifying food. In Arizona, the program is administered through the Department of Economic Security.
WIC is specifically designed to provide nutrition support to eligible pregnant and postpartum women, infants and young children. Arizona’s WIC program is administered through the Department of Health Services.
Benefit Recipients Should Report Changes Instead of Guessing About Eligibility
People receiving public assistance should keep the agency administering their benefits informed of required changes in household circumstances and respond accurately when eligibility is reviewed. The specific reporting requirements can depend on the program and the household, so recipients who are unsure whether a change affects eligibility should contact the administering agency.
Recipients should also avoid allowing another person to provide false information on their behalf or use their benefits in a way they know is not permitted. A benefit card or account being issued legitimately does not make later misuse lawful.
Anyone who believes SNAP, Nutrition Assistance or another Arizona DES program is being fraudulently obtained can report suspected fraud through the Arizona Department of Economic Security. DES currently provides an online reporting option and a fraud hotline at 1-800-251-2436.
Suspected WIC fraud can be reported separately through the Arizona Department of Health Services. The state’s WIC program accepts reports through an online complaint process and its fraud hotline at 1-866-229-6561.