Tammy L. Santiago, 40, made her first appearance last month in Lewis County Superior Court on charges of first-degree theft and second-degree perjury.
A Centralia woman accused of stealing over $10,000 in Department of Social Health and Services benefits was sentenced this week to 60 days in the Lewis County Jail and six months on community custody.
Tammy L. Santiago, 40, pleaded guilty to counts of public assistance fraud and second-degree perjury — a charge less severe than her initial counts of first-degree theft and second-degree perjury.
Santiago was accused of lying about where her three children lived — saying that they lived with her when really the resided out of the state — on an application for benefits back in 2016.
A DSHS investigator uncovered the deception and that Santiago had obtained $10,660 in overpayments in DSHS benefits.
Santiago was initially placed on an unsecured bond at a preliminary hearing, meaning she stayed out of custody during the duration of the case.
She was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $10,660, according to a sentencing order.
She pleaded guilty to the two counts and was sentenced on Wednesday.
Jail records indicate she was booked 4 p.m. that same day.
