SAGINAW, MI — A Saginaw woman accused of using her Bridge Card to fund her bakery business turned down a plea offer that would have prevented her from having a conviction on her record. Instead, she opted to proceed with a court hearing in which an investigator testified the woman misused more than $20,000 in Bridge Card benefits.
Talia C. Teneyuque, 32, is charged with food stamp fraud of $1,000 or more, a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
A Thursday, Oct. 8, preliminary examination began with Saginaw County Assistant Prosecutor Aaron M. Majorana stating he would dismiss the felony if Teneyuque pleaded guilty or no contest to a one-year misdemeanor count of larceny between $200 and $1,000. If Teneyuque accepted the offer, the prosecution would recommend she receive a delayed sentence, effectively putting her on probation. If Teneyuque repaid the sum she owed, either at once or by having her current Bridge Card benefits garnished, the conviction would not stay on her record, Majorana offered.
Defense attorney Emilie K. Lyday said Teneyuque was rejecting the offer and wanted to proceed with witnesses’ testimony.
Kristie M. Giorgis, an eligibility specialist with Saginaw County’s Department of Health and Human Services, testified Teneyuque applied for food assistance and state-of-emergency relief with Consumers Energy in December 2021. During a phone interview the following month, Teneyuque told Giorgis she lived with her five children and operated a baking business from her home.
Teneyuque told Giorgis she spent 20 to 30 hours a week baking and sold her wares online, making roughly $1,000 per month through CashApp sales, Giorgis testified. Teneyuque claimed she spent half of what she made on baking supplies, Giorgis said.
DHS granted the application and Teneyuque signed an agreement stating she would “use my benefits legally and will not sell, trade, or give away my benefits online or in person.” Questioned by Lyday, Giorgis said Teneyuque was not doing anything wrong by receiving benefits while operating her baking business.
Regulation Agent Katrina Tibbits, with MDHHS’s Office of Inspector General, testified Teneyuque in 2023 reported she was only making about $305 per month, an insufficient amount to pay her bills.
Tibbits searched Teneyuque’s social media accounts and determined she operated the Facebook page Luvn a Jar, on which she would list baked goods she had for sale and their prices. Teneyuque created an LLC for her business in April 2022, state records show.
“It appeared there was the potential for her to be making much more than $300,” Tibbits said.
Tibbits obtained hundreds of pages of sales records from Walmart/Sam’s Club during the suspected “over issuance period” of January 2022 through September 2023. Her goal was to see if the items Teneyuque purchased on her Bridge Card matched the ingredients she listed in her baked goods, she said.
Tibbits identified numerous “questionable transactions” indicating Teneyuque used her Bridge Card to purchase $20,502.01 in candies, fruit, and other ingredients that she then offered for sale in the form of cookies, cupcakes, and cobblers.
Tibbits said she contacted Teneyuque and asked her to provide copies of her tax returns. Teneyuque never did so, violating her responsibilities, Tibbits testified.
Presiding Saginaw County District Judge Terry L. Clark interjected to ask Tibbits the amount of food assistance Teneyuque was receiving each month. Tibbits said she did not know the dollar amount.
Tibbits interviewed Teneyuque in person on Dec. 21, 2023, and asked her if she was using her Bridge Card to buy her baking ingredients. Teneyuque said she was not, Tibbits said.
“She said that she purchases everything for her children,” Tibbits said. The investigator showed Teneyuque a list of purchased items that seemingly aligned with her business’ Facebook posts.
“She just said, ‘I know how this looks but I did not do this,’” Tibbits said. Teneyuque then said she was going to get a lawyer and left the interview, Tibbits said.
Defense attorney Lyday questioned Tibbits on how she knew Teneyuque actually sold any of the baked goods. Tibbits replied she did not interview any of Teneyuque’s customers, but their comments on Facebook indicated they had made purchases. Tibbits added she assumed Teneyuque was selling the items as she kept offering them for sale.
The hearing ended with Judge Clark granting Assistant Prosecutor Majorana’s request to bind Teneyuque’s case over to Circuit Court for trial. Teneyuque remains free on bond.