TWIN LAKES, Wis. — A Twin Lakes man is wanted on a $5,000 arrest warrant after Kenosha County prosecutors charged him with three felonies connected to a scheme in which he allegedly exchanged food stamp benefits for cash and then filed a false fraud report to cover it up.
Jake K. Perez, 42, of the 300 block of E. Hunt Avenue, faces one count of illegally transferring over $5,000 in FoodShare benefits, one count of trafficking benefits valued between $100 and $5,000, and one count of public assistance fraud. If convicted on all counts, he faces more than 13 years in prison and $45,000 in fines.
According to a criminal complaint filed Tuesday, the case began in May 2024 when Perez contacted the Twin Lakes Police Department and claimed his Wisconsin Quest EBT card had been used without his knowledge. He said he attempted to buy groceries at Berkot’s in Twin Lakes but was told his balance was zero. Perez reported a $193.74 online transaction through Walmart that he claimed was fraudulent and requested a refund from the state’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG).
During a recorded interview with an OIG investigator later that month, Perez insisted he did not authorize the purchase and said the only people who occasionally used his card were his mother and sister. He affirmed multiple times that he gave no one permission to use the card and that he received no benefit from the disputed transaction. The investigator warned him that providing false information could be considered fraud and that the OIG could contact third parties—including stores and law enforcement—as part of the investigation. Perez said he understood and wished to continue.
However, Walmart records and screenshots obtained by the OIG revealed that the transaction in question was placed under the name Chris Reins and shipped to an address in Burlington. The email used for the purchase was later linked to a woman named Christine Reins, who told investigators that she had in fact used Perez’s card—at his request—and that he had sent her the card details via text message.
Reins turned over messages showing Perez offering to trade “stamps” for cash. In one message exchange, Reins wrote, “Hey can I get some of those stamps?” Perez responded, “Yeah you can how much are you thinking.” Reins proposed sending him $100 via CashApp in exchange for $200 in food benefits. Perez agreed and sent her a photo of the card and PIN. Reins also showed investigators a transaction history confirming she had sent Perez $280 over multiple dates in April via CashApp. The recipient’s account, “$jkylep5,” displayed a profile photo that police identified as Perez.
Walmart order history showed additional purchases made with Perez’s EBT card, including one for $192.48 on April 20, 2024. Both transactions were consistent with the pattern of exchanges described by Reins.
Despite Perez’s claims that the purchases were fraudulent and unauthorized, prosecutors allege he knowingly facilitated the transactions and financially benefited from them. Investigators said Perez even mentioned in an interview that he had once allowed a woman named Christine to place a Walmart order on his behalf, further contradicting his sworn statements to authorities.
Perez is now facing a Class G felony for the illegal transfer of benefits over $5,000, a Class I felony for trafficking benefits under $5,000, and a Class A misdemeanor for knowingly making a false statement to obtain public assistance.
The arrest warrant was issued Tuesday following the filing of the criminal complaint. As of Wednesday morning, Perez had not been taken into custody.
4 Responses
People like this ruin it for those who really need help with food. This whole system needs to be revamped to weed out those who don’t need it!
Defund welfare!
Absolutely! Fill all of the jobs that Americans just wont do anymore.
LOSER GET A JOB.