California Assembly candidate Denise Aguilar pleaded guilty in 2020 to lying to obtain nearly $11,000 in San Joaquin County aid, court records show.
Aguilar, a Republican challenging Democrat Rhodesia Ransom for the District 13 seat, faced charges in 2019 of felony receiving aid by misrepresentation, grand theft and perjury before pleading guilty to one misdemeanor charge of receiving aid by misrepresentation, a type of welfare fraud, under a plea deal, the complaint in the case shows.
Using “false statements, representations, impersonation or other fraudulent device,” Aguilar allegedly took $10,984 in county Human Services Agency aid she wasn’t entitled to, the complaint claims.
She was sentenced to three years of informal probation as well as community service and restitution, court records show.
“Yes I wasn’t always a politician and yes I have things in my past that these fools think will shift the conversation (but) it won’t,” the candidate said Wednesday on social media.
Aguilar did not immediately return Stocktonia’s requests for comment on Friday.
Roughly four months after her guilty plea, Aguilar took part in the Jan. 6, 2021 U.S. Capitol riot, according to a review by independent researchers of social media photos and videos first reported by USA Today.
The candidate denied taking part in the riot to USA Today, but said she had spoken to crowds that day. USA Today’s article contained video of Aguilar entering the building. She was not charged with any crimes.
Beyond her Jan. 6 role, Aguilar is also known for founding the anti-vaccine group Freedom Angels and the survivalist group Mamalitia.
The candidate is now running on a platform of “protecting children and parental rights” and opposing “soft-on-crime laws,” her campaign website states. California’s Republican Party has endorsed Aguilar for the District 13 seat.
The current status of Aguilar’s case of receiving aid by misrepresentation is unclear. The latest record in the case, an order filed in January 2023, appears to have directed Aguilar to serve 40 days in jail, though it’s unclear whether the state Assembly candidate has served any time in jail for the charge.
The San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether Aguilar completed her sentence or the case’s current status.