A Lubbock woman who pleaded guilty to bank fraud last year has been sentenced to 204 months in federal prison. She was caught pocketing money received through Medicaid while her disabled son never actually received the care he needed.
After years of neglect, her son was finally found with infected bed sores and maggots all over his body while he was never able to move or speak the entire time.
She Stole Money From Medicaid for Six Years
According to the U.S. Department of Justice press release, 60-year-old Judy Terecia Sanchez had a son who previously suffered a massive injury that left him bed-ridden, blind, non-verbal, unable to move, and requiring breathing through a tracheostomy—a surgical hole cut into the neck and windpipe to allow breathing following injuries or medical conditions.
In 2015, after Sanchez’s son qualified for home health care through Texas Medicaid, she hand-picked a nurse who she felt was suitable to handle his hygiene care, bathing, and physical therapy. However, after two weeks, the nurse quit.
Instead of finding a replacement caregiver for her son, Sanchez instead continued to have the former nurse’s paycheck sent to a post office box that she controlled. These checks would then be forged and cashed as if the nurse was still working.
Sanchez’s bank fraud continued for six years before she was caught.
The Poor Son With Maggots On His Body
Sanchez’s scheme was cut short when her son was discovered in “an extreme state of neglect and misery toward the end of his life after Sanchez left him unattended,” the release states.
He was also seen to have pus-filled bed sores and there were maggots covering his entire body.
Sanchez’s Prison Sentence
On February 19, 2026, Judy Terecia Sanchez was sentenced to 17 years in federal prison. She was also ordered to pay back the $227,377 in restitution to Texas Health and Human Services that she had fraudulently obtained over the years.
19 Precious Teen Girls Vanished in Texas During February
19 Texas families are wondering where their teen girls are as they were reported missing in February.
Gallery Credit: Michael Gibson / Townsquare Media
Texas Drinks We’re Loving In 2026: The Weekend Buzz Taste Test Gallery
Gallery Credit: Chaz
Texas’ Top 10 Most Expensive High School Football Stadiums
There’s a reason every good high school football movie is based in Texas. Here in the Lone Star State Friday nights are revered and our young men in football pads exalted to legends in their hometowns.