Milwaukee woman charged in 'Judy Justice' food stamp fraud case pleads not guilty

The fraud case against a Milwaukee woman charged with food stamp offenses after her appearance on the "Judy Justice" TV show can move forward, a judge ruled Friday.

Katrina L. Weems, 41, was charged in July with multiple counts of money laundering and of misusing the benefits of FoodShare, the Wisconsin food stamp program. Weems pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Prosecutors allege Weems financed the purchase of other people's FoodShare benefits and laundered them by using their EBT cards for herself.

At a preliminary hearing Friday in Milwaukee County Circuit Court, Judge Brittney C. Grayson found there was probable cause to bind the case over for trial.

Another woman, Java'la C. Elams, 25, was charged in the same case with one felony count of illegally trafficking food stamps. She failed to show for an Aug. 25 court date. A bench warrant for her arrest was issued that day.

The alleged scheme drew the attention of state investigators after the two were before Judith Sheindlin on "Judy Justice" and appeared to admit to selling and buying food stamps.

Main takeaways from Friday's hearing

• The show generated tips: Nicole Housley, the lead trafficking agent for the state Office of the Inspector General, testified the agency began probing after "several complaints" came into its hotline when the episode aired in December 2021. Investigators learned Weems' phone was used to check EBT card balance before their use in grocery stores and for online purchases. Store video also showed footage of Weems buying items with EBT cards in other people's names, Housley testified.

• Answering the charges: Weems was arraigned and formally pleaded not guilty to the charges against her through her lawyer Ruby De Leon of Milwaukee.

• Next court appearance: Nov. 9, for a status conference.

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The women first publicly talked about how they bought or sold food stamps last year on "Judy Justice," a television show where Sheindlin, a former family court judge in Manhattan, presides over a TV courtroom and arbitrates disputes.

"Judy Justice" is the continuation of the long-running "Judge Judy" daytime show that also starred Sheindlin, a former family court judge in Manhattan. "Judge Judy" ended in 2021.

De Leon argued the act of checking a card's balance didn't prove guilt the benefits were misused. She promoted the theory the purchases could have been made by someone else on the cardholders' behalf.

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Who uses food stamps in Wisconsin?

Nearly 710,000 people in Wisconsin receive FoodShare benefits, according to the most recent DHS data. FoodShare is the state's name for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee 'Judy Justice' food stamp fraud suspect pleads not guilty