10th FLDS Church member admits misusing food stamps; 1 remains on the run

10th FLDS Church member admits misusing food stamps; 1 remains on the run

(Jacob Zitting, File)


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SALT LAKE CITY — All the defendants in the Fundamentalist LDS Church food stamp fraud case have now reached plea deals except one who remains on the run.

Preston Yates Barlow, 42, pleaded guilty in federal court last week to a misdemeanor charge of diverting Supplement Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits to people who weren't eligible to receive them.

Barlow is among 11 FLDS Church members initially charged with conspiracy to commit SNAP benefits fraud and money laundering. He has not been sentenced.

None of the others went to jail but were required to attend a Department of Agriculture training session on the proper use of SNAP benefits.

Prosecutors allege the group diverted millions of dollars in federal benefits, funneling some money to front companies and to pay for a tractor, a truck and other items.

Lyle Jeffs, the highest-ranking FLDS leader indicted in the case, slipped out of a GPS ankle monitor and escaped home confinement in the Salt Lake City area last summer. The FBI has offered a $50,000 reward for his capture.

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