Dona Ana County poll worker pleads guilty in scheme to defraud U.S. government

Denise Ceniceros, one of four alleged participants in a scheme to commit fraud against the U.S. government, pleaded guilty Friday morning.

She pleaded guilty in Las Cruces district court to a 4th degree felony charge of conspiracy to commit fraud over $500.

She could have received an 18-month prison sentence but Judge Fernando Macias granted a conditional discharge with 18 months’ probation.

Watch ABC-7’s 6 p.m. newscast as the New Mexico Mobile Newsroom takes you inside the courtroom as the judge questions Denise Ceniceros’ role.

Prosecutors say the plan between the four conspirators was to use I.D. information taken from voter rolls in the Dona Ana County Clerk’s office to submit fraudulent applications to the federal government and receive tax refund checks from the U.S. Treasury.

The funds from those checks were supposed to be divided between the four persons allegedly involved: Denise Ceniceros, Maria Ceniceros, Armando Torres and Francisco Ceniceros.

On May 29, 2015 Maria Ceniceros called her daughter to retrieve the names of people on three checks.

That was Denise Ceniceros’ only involvement, according to prosecutors.

Prosecutors say Denise Ceniceros did not use her position as a county poll worker to acquire illegal funds, but that her actions were a violation of public trust.

Prosecutors say as a result of the swift actions by the Dona Ana Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Treasury there was minimal damage or financial loss.

There was a potential for the loss to have topped $1 million because the alleged participants in the scheme has more than 100 names and I.D. information for those names in their possession.

Prosecutors said that the scheme was part of an international scheme.

Trial dates for the three other defendants have not been announced.