HILLSBORO, Ore.- On June 25, 2019, Judge Andrew Erwin sentenced Ruby Lavonne Bolton to 15 days in jail and five years of probation. Judge Erwin also ordered Bolton to pay $73,593.90 in compensatory fines and $17,307 in restitution, both to be paid to the Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS). On May 8, 2019, Bolton was convicted of three counts of first-degree theft, three counts of unlawfully obtaining public assistance and three counts of unlawfully using supplemental nutritional assistance (SNAP). Deputy District Attorney Bik-Na Han prosecuted the case against Bolton.
Investigators with DHS found that from 2010-2016 Bolton applied for and received more than $110,000 in benefits she wasn’t qualified for. Bolton falsified her application forms over the years, claiming to be a single mother with no other sources of income. In fact, she married her husband in 2010 and concealed his income that contributed to their household on the benefits application forms. Over the years, she was successfully able to hide her household income until an alert DHS caseworker uncovered the deception. Unfortunately, due to the statute of limitations, the prosecution of Bolton could only occur starting from 2015 and thereafter.
Over the years, Bolton received funds from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), and Employment Related Day Care (ERDC). She was also living in Section 8 housing provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
The DHS investigator also discovered that Bolton failed to disclose that her brother-in-law, who was also bringing in an income, was living in her household as well. Additionally, Bolton was receiving daycare expenses from DHS, HUD, and from her husband.
The Washington County District Attorney’s Office would like to acknowledge the work of DHS, the caseworker who first spotted the discrepancies, as well as the members of the community who attended trial and gave statements. The DHS investigator as well as numerous staff members of DHS, helped collect hundreds of pages of records and complete calculations for purposes of this investigation.
Bolton has been transferred to the Washington County Jail to serve her sentence.
