Talia C. Teneyuque was arrested after allegedly using her food stamp benefits to start a small business.
From January 2022 to September 2023, the 32-year-old Saginaw, Michigan, woman allegedly used her Bridge Card, which is a component of Michigan’s supplemental food program, to purchase ingredients for baked goods, according to court documents that MLive was able to access.
She then allegedly used Facebook to market and sell those items, profiting from the government aid she had received.
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Following an investigation that uncovered Teneyuque’s activities, authorities moved to arrest her and issued a warrant for her arrest on June 30.
On August 4, she was arrested but released the same day after posting bond. The charges were severe: one count of food stamp fraud of $1,000 or more.
Teneyuque was released on a $50,000 personal recognizance bond at her arraignment on August 13. Her defense lawyer, Anthony S. Gonzales, requested a postponement during a hearing on September 3 because Emilie K. Lyday, Teneyuque’s usual lawyer, was in trial in another courtroom. According to MLive, Judge Terry L. Clark consented to postpone the proceedings, and the case would resume at a later date in Michigan.
According to Madame Noire, food stamps are only allowed to be used for personal food purchases under the Food Stamp Act of 1977; they cannot be used for resale or business purposes.
If someone uses food stamps or access devices (such a Bridge Card) illegally for more than $1,000 in total, they may be charged with a felony, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, or both. If proven guilty, this might be Teneyuque’s reality.
Social media users have since been reacting to the case, with many describing the punishment for the alleged incident as too harsh.
“Proof they love criminalizing Black bodies. Just cut her benefits if it’s such a problem, then,” said one user under the Black Millionaires Instagram page. “Charging a person with a felony simply for being enterprising with their current situation in the country, supposedly of milk and honey and freedom to pursue free enterprise? Ridiculous!”
Another wrote, “Why not make her pay it back and call it square instead of giving her over to the prison institution?”
“Sorry thats definitely because she black … nothing else,” a third commented.
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The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) reports that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the largest nutrition assistance program in the country. In fiscal year (FY) 2024, SNAP accounted for approximately 70% of USDA’s nutrition assistance spending, excluding spending on the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer for Children Program, also known as Summer EBT or SUN Bucks.
SNAP served 41.7 million participants on average each month in Fiscal Year 2024. The federal SNAP program spent $99.8 billion, with monthly benefits averaging $187.20 per participant.
During Fiscal Year 2023, the highest percentage of SNAP users were adults aged 18–59 (42 percent), followed by children (about 39 percent) and individuals aged 60 and over (19 percent).
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