Nevada woman pleads guilty to exchanging food stamps for meth

Julie M. Drake

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — A Nevada woman pleaded guilty Monday in federal court in Springfield to her role in a conspiracy to exchange food stamps for methamphetamine or cash.

Julie M. Drake, 48, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute, according to a statement released by the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Missouri.

According to the statement, Drake admitted that in 2015 she participated in a conspiracy in Bates and Vernon counties, accepting Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, sometimes known as food stamps, in exchange for methamphetamine or a percentage of the benefits in cash.

She then used the electronic benefit transfer cards belonging to others and their personal identification numbers to buy her own food.

The Vernon County Sheriff’s Department executed a search warrant Oct. 14, 2015, at Drake’s residence and seized a purse containing 22 bags of methamphetamine, weighing about 100 grams and packaged for distribution. They also found two digital scales, as well as a safe that contained $4,720.

Four electronic benefit transfer cards belonging to other people also were discovered in the house, according to the U.S. attorney's office. Investigators were able to establish Drake's use of the cards on video surveillance footage at Wal-Mart stores in Nevada and Lamar.

In interviews with federal agents, one of the recipients of the benefit cards admitted using his card to buy a quarter gram of methamphetamine from Drake. He told investigators that a $55.94 transaction was payment for the drug.

Another recipient admitted to selling his benefits to Drake for 50 cents per $1 in benefits. She would come to his residence to retrieve the card, call the 1-800 number on the back of the card to verify the balance and then give him half of its value in cash.

Drake is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of five years or up to 40 years in federal prison without parole. 

A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a pre-sentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office