Milwaukee woman who admitted on TV's 'Judy Justice' she sold food stamps must pay restitution
A Milwaukee woman who admitted on an episode of TV's "Judy Justice" that she sold Wisconsin FoodShare benefits has been ordered to pay restitution to the state.
Katrina Weems, 36, must pay $1,533.84 to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services as a condition of her probation in an arrangement was reached Tuesday, online court records show.
Milwaukee County prosecutors charged Weems and Java'la Elams in July 2023 with multiple counts of money laundering and of misusing the benefits of FoodShare benefits, the Wisconsin food stamp program.
The charges were filed after the pair appeared before TV judge Judith Sheindlin on a 2022 episode of TV's "Judy Justice."
They were on the show to resolve a dispute over the sale of a used 2005 Toyota Camry, but revealed during the segment they sold food stamps, drawing the attention of fraud investigators in Wisconsin.
FoodShare is the Wisconsin food stamp program; it's the state's name for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. Residents who are disabled, retired, living on a small fixed income or rely on low-income jobs are often eligible.
Nearly 710,000 people in Wisconsin receive FoodShare benefits, according to the most recent DHS data.
Weems was convicted in January on three counts of money laundering and three counts of misusing FoodShare benefits, but was acquitted on three other counts.
Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Jorge Fragoso ordered Weems to six months behind bars, but stayed the sentence, and placed her on 12 months probation. The judge also ordered Weems to spend five days in jail.
Elams, 27, of Milwaukee, pleaded guilty in January 2024 to a felony charge of knowingly trafficking food stamps and testified against Weems at trial. Elams was given three days in jail.
"Judy Justice" is the continuation of the long-running "Judge Judy" daytime show that also starred Sheindlin, a former family court judge in Manhattan. "Judge Judy" ended in 2021.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee woman said on 'Judy Justice' she sold food stamps, must pay
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