BEAUMONT, Texas — Another person tied to the food stamp fraud case involving a Beaumont restaurant was sentenced after entering a guilty plea on Monday.
Joshua Peltier, who was also indicted in the Coleman's Burger Deli food stamp fraud scheme, was sentenced to 30 days in jail and ordered to pay $224 restitution along with a $4,000 fine.
He appeared before Jefferson County Criminal District Judge John Stevens via Zoom.
Peltier was originally charged with illegally transferring food stamps, but he pleaded guilty to a lesser class A misdemeanor.
In October 2020, Khristie T. Carrier was sentenced to 10 years probation after pleading guilty to illegal transfer of food stamps in the same case.
In September 2020, Paula Annice Alemestica was sentenced to a five-year probated prison sentence and ordered to pay restitution and do community service. Pleshette Carrington was also sentenced to 10 years in prison in August. Her sentence was also probated.
Restaurant owner Johnny Ray Coleman, along with 61 other people, were originally indicted in June 2019 for electronic benefits transfer fraud. Coleman was accused of buying the food stamps from individuals to purchase $71,000 in food for the deli.
The Jefferson County District Attorney's office called it "a scheme involving the fraudulent use of benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits" wherein $71,000 worth of food were sold at a Beaumont restaurant.
Investigators discovered over 300 purchases from over 92 different EBT cards from over 61 SNAP recipients, totaling over $71,000 of food used at the restaurant, based on evidence seized, District Attorney Bob Wortham previously told 12News.
