Gwinnett woman pleads guilty to food stamp fraud
A Gwinnett County woman has pleaded guilty to food stamp fraud and must pay $12,596 in restitution, the state Attorney General's Office said.
Rena Molokandova was also sentenced Wednesday to five years' probation by Gwinnett Superior Court Judge R. Timothy Hamil. Between 1998 and 2006, Molokandova failed to disclose she was living with Valeriy Molokandova and, for that reason, illegally received more than $12,000 in food stamp benefits, the AG's office said.
Valerij Molokandov is a former Family Independence Case Manager with the Multi-County Refugee Resettlement Unit of the Fulton County Department of Family and Children Services. He is facing a Fulton County indictment on related charges and was also charged in Gwinnett with Rena Molokandova. Their daughter, Bella Molokandova, entered a guilty plea in 2009 to Medicaid Fraud in a related case, the AG's office said.
About the Author
Bill Rankin has been an AJC reporter for more than 30 years. His father, Jim Rankin, worked as an editor for the newspaper for 26 years, retiring in 1986. Bill has primarily covered the state’s court system, doing all he can do to keep the scales of justice on an even keel. Since 2015, he has been the host of the newspaper’s Breakdown podcast.
