COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – A Coldwater woman escaped jail time but was ordered to pay over $10,000 in restitution to the State of Michigan Monday in Branch County Circuit Court after she entered a guilty plea to a charge of attempted welfare fraud over $500.
Two other charges against 34-year-old Tanya Garcia were dismissed by prosecutors in exchange for her plea.
Garcia was placed on 20 months of probation. She also got a one month jail sentence but her jail time was suspended over probation.
Garcia was charged in April 2018. According to court documents, an investigation determined that she received welfare assistance for over two years that she was not entitled to because her children’s father, who was employed, was living in their home.
