Fitchburg woman sentenced for benefit fraud
WORCESTER » A Fitchburg woman was sentenced Monday in federal court to one month of home confinement and two years of probation for fraudulently receiving Social Security disability benefits, MassHealth and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Rhonda Bernal, 62, was also ordered to make restitution to the Social Security Administration, MassHealth, and the Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance.
In December 2020, Bernal pleaded guilty to three counts of theft of public funds and two counts of making false statements.
Over a period of approximately eight years, Bernal stole $71,462 in Social Security benefits, $6,444 in MassHealth benefits and $13,505 in SNAP benefits (previously known as Food Stamps), according to the charging documents.
In February 2015, Bernal falsely informed the Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance that she was the only person in her household when, in fact, she was living with her husband. In addition, Bernal falsely told Social Security in April 2016 that she and a relative, who was not her husband, were the only members of her household, according to the charging documents.
Fitchburg woman charged with attacking roommate
FITCHBURG » Apparently upset that her roommate was
cooking, a city woman threatened the man with a knife before sucker punching him, according to police and court documents.
Police were called to Highland Avenue on Sunday evening on a report of a disturbance involving a woman and a knife, the reporting officer said.
When the officer arrived, he met Sheena M. Ducksworth, 33, of Highland Avenue, standing in the driveway, appearing unsteady on her feet and having an odor of alcohol when he asked her to sit down while another officer checked the apartment, the officer reported.
The officers then spoke with the victim, who told them that Ducksworth was drunk and had attacked him while he was cooking on the kitchen stove, the officer reported.
The victim said Ducksworth came into the living room holding a serrated knife and pointing it at him in a threatening manner at which time he went into the kitchen to get away from her. And once there, Ducksworth came in, began calling him names and as he was tending his dinner, she sucker punched him in the face, leaving the side of his face swollen, the officer reported, adding the knife was found and taken as evidence.
Ducksworth was arrested and charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and assault and battery, according to court documents.
When arraigned on Monday, Ducksworth, who pleaded not guilty, was ordered held in lieu of posting a $1,000 cash bail or $10,000 surety bond, ordered to stay away from the victim and return to court on April 16 for a pretrial hearing.
As of Wednesday, Ducksworth had not posted bail and was being held at the Western Mass Regional Women’s Correctional Center in Chicopee, according to a spokesperson at the center.
Leominster man back in court on charge of OUI second offense
LEOMINSTER » A city man who was charged in October for OUI after losing control of his motor vehicle while racing and causing a chain reaction crash was back in court on Monday for a status hearing, according to police and court documents.
Police were called to the intersection of Main and Pierce streets on Oct. 18 for a reported car crash, the reporting officer said. When the officer arrived at the scene, she was met by James Bonilla, 42, of Cross Street, who identified himself as the driver of a Mitsubishi Lancer, which had violently crashed into a Toyota Tacoma, pushing it into a Volkswagen Jetta, which in turn struck a Kia Soul, the officer reported, adding all of the other vehicles were unoccupied at the time of the crash.
When Bonilla was asked what happened, he told the officer he had been racing, against whom he wasn’t sure, and lost control of his vehicle just in front of 7 Pierce St. before slamming into the Tacoma, the officer reported. The officer stated that while Bonilla was steady on his feet and not slurring his speech, he had a strong odor of alcohol on him.
Bonilla was asked to get his license, which he had, and the officer saw that inside of his Lancer were several mostly empty nip bottles and an open can of an alcoholic beverage, the officer reported.
When Bonilla handed the officer his license, he said, “I know I (expletive) up,” the officer reported, including that Bonilla said he had been drinking all day.
An arriving officer stood with Bonilla while the responding officer spoke with witnesses who told her after the crash, a woman and a dog had gotten out of the Lancer and walked away, the officer reported, adding that Bonilla said she was not injured, named her, but wouldn’t elaborate.
The owners of two of the damaged vehicles by this time were outside and berating Bonilla for what had happened. He apologized to the vehicles’ owners and told them his insurance would pay for the damages, the officer reported.
He refused to submit to a field sobriety test, but said he would take the breathalyzer once back at the station, which he did and registered a .15 blood alcohol level, the officer reported, including that Bonilla had a guilty conviction for OUI in 2015.
As a result, Bonilla was charged with OUI-second offense, negligent operation, an open container violation, racing a motor vehicle, a marked lanes violation, and speeding, according to court documents.
Bonilla, who pleaded not guilty, was originally arraigned on Oct. 19 and ordered held in lieu of posting a $2,500 cash bail or $25,000 surety bond, and ordered to remain drug and alcohol free, according to court documents.
Since the arraignment, Bonilla had one pretrial hearing in November, but each hearing since has been continued. He will return to court for another hearing on May 17, according to court documents.