A 44-year-old Florida woman accused of using her mother’s identity to apply for hurricane relief told a Bradenton city worker that Botox made her look much younger, police said Saturday.
Veronica Torres was charged with a third-degree felony of filing a false public assistance claim after applying for and receiving nearly $8,000, Bradenton police said.
She used her mother’s ID, name and Social Security number to file the welfare application, saying she was forced to leave her home due to hurricane damage, police said.
When the Torres arrived Thursday to pick up the check, a city employee challenged her about her appearance compared to the age on the application.
“Her explanation about ‘Botox treatments’ could not convince the employee,” the police said in a statement. Torres was asked to return Friday and was arrested, police said.
The case did not appear to appear in online court records Saturday, and it was not clear whether Torres had an attorney who could speak on her behalf. She was released after posting $2,500 bond, jail records show. A phone number for Torres could not immediately be found.
Bradenton is a city of about 55,000 people north of Sarasota, on the state’s west coast. That area was hit by powerful Hurricane Helene as it passed in September, and in October Hurricane Milton made landfall in Siesta Key, just south of Sarasota.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
