Staff Reports
CIRCLEVILLE – A New Holland man was found guilty by a jury this week of food assistance theft and Medicaid eligibility fraud in Pickaway County Common Pleas Court.
Ramiro Gonzalez, 36, of Clarksburg Pike, New Holland, will be sentenced following a pre-sentence investigation by the court.
Evidence in the one-day trial showed Gonzalez was working while his family members were receiving food assistance and Medicaid benefits in 2014.
His wife, who filed the paperwork to receive the benefits, also is charged with failing to report Gonzalez was living in the family residence and was employed, which made the family ineligible for the benefits they received.
Judy Wolford, Pickaway County Prosecutor, called Carissa Vanover, investigator for Pickaway County Job and Family Services, as the state’s only witness.
Gonzalez was represented by attorney Matt O’Leary.
The jury deliberated about two and a half hours before returning the guilty verdict.
Gonzalez is expected to be sentenced upon completion of the pre-sentence investigation in about six weeks.
This article originally appeared on The Pickaway News Journal