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Woman sentenced in rent fraud case
STORY TOOLS 
More from FillmoreA judge has sentenced a 43-year-old Fillmore woman to 120 days in jail after she pleaded guilty to defrauding the Area Housing Authority by receiving more than $25,600 in rent subsidies she wasn't entitled to, authorities said Wednesday.
Margie Delores Lopez pleaded guilty in August to one count of grand theft. She will report to jail to serve her time on Nov. 1, said Vinse Gilliam, a deputy chief investigator for the District Attorney's Office. The judge also ordered that she be put on probation for 48 months, said Gilliam.
The judge ordered Lopez to pay restitution of $25,600. Lopez will have to pay $787 a month, beginning in March, said Gilliam.
Prosecutors alleged that from April 2004 through August 2006, Lopez lived in a residence owned by a relative. Lopez signed documents with the Area Housing Authority acknowledging the relative was not allowed to live there because he owned the property, yet the relative did live there, prosecutors alleged.
Gilliam said the purpose of the housing program is to help poor people who need rent assistance, not to supplement rent payments to relatives. The Housing Authority, based in Newbury Park, serves Camarillo, Fillmore, Ojai, Moorpark, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks and the county of Ventura.
Posted by JohnGC on September 20, 2007 at 9:06 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Why give her 120 days of free room and board? Charge this scumbag for the costs of her detention.
Posted by RC on September 20, 2007 at 10:24 a.m. (Suggest removal)
BUSTED!
Posted by fightpropaganda on September 20, 2007 at 10:36 a.m. (Suggest removal)
People are looking at this one woman of Margie Lopez and laying down personal judgment on her. The reason that we have a judicial system is to give proper punishment for a crime and not for everyone to hang some in the community with ridicule. I know this woman personally and she is a good woman and no matter what is said by anyone I know the real story is that the area housing representative misinformed Margie of the terms of what qualifies her for housing. It’s sad to see that this paper is only one sided and chooses not to tells anyone the true story about area housing in Fillmore. There were at least four other people who were caught at the same time as the person in question and not so much as an article on them was placed. In three of the cases the amount of housing fraud was more than the amount that the person in question here in this article but nothing is placed on them because these people have links in the community. I’m just saying if your going to put one person’s case out in the open be far and place articles on all of the people. Is this far or a personal attack on a person?
Posted by ironwoman on September 20, 2007 at 2:19 p.m. (Suggest removal)
fightproppaganda- You are making excuses for criminal behavior! ! ! This woman obviously has a problem following basic rules in society. Who cares about personal attacks. She STOLE money for a program designed for poor people that NEED assistance. What kind of conscience does she have? Oh, she doesn't. If anyone is able to scam the government, they need to be accountable for their actions. Yes there are many others out there but she got caught. She's a criminal.
Posted by AnnaWhaat on September 21, 2007 at 7:19 a.m. (Suggest removal)
fightpropaganda , I agree! If they are going to exploit one then why not all????
Posted by smitty on September 27, 2007 at 10:18 p.m. (Suggest removal)
jbp, there's no time like the present.
Posted by SueSue on October 27, 2007 at 3:05 p.m. (Suggest removal)
rubio_s1, There is a difference. The "white woman" in Ojai was living in her SON's house. Maybe he didn't want her punished to harshly. You don't know the facts of the Ojai woman. Just because she's white you ASSUME she got off more lightly.
I think not. This isn't a race issue, AGAIN.
Hispanics are the majority in So.Ca., it just is what it is people, get use to living in a state that is "white" is not the majority.
I do agree with the last part of your statement. Some forget that the "white man" came in a slaughtered thousands of Indians and Mexicans to take over this part of the country.
Sad, that we all can't just learn to stop looking at it as legal and illegal, good or bad, black,brown, white, asian, whatever...
Posted by 1958boss on November 1, 2007 at 8:28 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The Housing on Squires, in Colonia, and Channel Islands park apartments should be looked at, most of those people drive better cars, (not 1 car, but multiple) than most people.
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