Say Cheese Two Texas Women Busted With Some Serious Cheddar

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Not to be too cheesy but this news story stunk like a big old block of blue cheese so, of course, we had to share it with you! Who would have guessed the Great Texas Cheese Heist would garnish so much attention?

What do you say to someone who is trying to steal your cheese?
"This is nacho cheese!"

Two Texas Women Busted with over 2 Tons of Cheese

We're talking some serious cheddar folks! These two Brownsville women have been sent to prison following their convictions of conspiracy and committing $1.2 million in food stamp fraud which you guessed, included tons of cheese weighing in at 2 tons!

And no matter how you slice it, that's a whole lotta cheddar! $$$$

The two women, Ana Rioja, 51, and Maria Consuelo de Ureno, 55, exchanged SNAP benefits for cash by using a point of sale device at a local meat market Rioja owned.

It was a slow process, kind of like the time it takes to age Swiss, but in the course of the 5 years, between September 2014 and August 2019,  approximately $1.2 million in fraudulent transactions were made.

KWTX reported that "The investigation discovered 715 fraudulent transactions that were linked to 83 unique SNAP benefit recipients which conspirators redeemed for cash or food."

It wasn't just cheese though! 

The lame purchases included an astonishing 49.1 TONS of American cheese slices, 22.3 tons of pinto beans, 1.6 tons of Folgers coffee, 1.4 tons of instant mashed potatoes, and over 5,000 gallons of mayonnaise which was all sold and transported to Mexico.

Rioja was charged and sentenced to 30 months in prison, Ureno 37 months.

What did one cheese say to cheer the other up?
You’re a gouda friend, it’s gonna brie ok.

That's probably not a joke these two Texas criminals will tell each other in the slammer!