Food Stamp Fraud Lands Two in Prison
4/26/2018
Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley announced that accused murderer Larissa Rodriguez was sentenced to six years in prison and children’s services provider Nancy Caraballo was sentenced three years in prison for a multi-year food stamp fraud scheme.
From July 2015 through December 2017, Caraballo paid 36-year-old Rodrigues 50 cents for every $1.00 of her food stamp benefits, which totaled $10,058.18. Restitution in that amount was also ordered as part of their sentences.
The food stamp benefits were meant for Rodriguez’s five children, including Jordan, her five-year-old son who was found buried in the family’s backyard in December. He was last seen alive in September 2017.
“An abusive unfit mother and a morally bankrupt education liaison teamed up to take food out of the mouths of children for their own greed,” said Prosecutor O’Malley. “They deserve these sentences.”
Caraballo, 45, was a Parent Educator for Bright Beginnings, an agency that provides educational services and referrals to families with small children. She was employed by Catholic Charities, which was contracted by Bright Beginnings.
Caraballo’s role required her to make monthly home visits to evaluate Rodriguez’s children and refer them for educational services. On at least eleven occasions, including the month before the discovery of Jordan’s body, Caraballo falsified her reports to cover-up the fact that she had not been inside the home.
As a mandatory reporter, it was Caraballo’s responsibility to report neglect and abuse to the proper authorities. It has been documented the home was in deplorable condition at the time of Jordan’s death.
Rodriguez and her boyfriend Christopher Rodriguez are still facing charges for Jordan’s death including Murder, Felonious Assault, Endangering Children, and Gross Abuse of a Corpse.