Utah couple that won free groceries pleads guilty to theft

Utah couple that won free groceries pleads guilty to theft

LAYTON, Utah (AP) — A Utah couple that won $10,000 worth of groceries from a program that assists military families has pleaded guilty to unrelated theft charges at a department store where the woman worked.

The Deseret News reported Wednesday that Nicholas and Stephanie Mannino of Layton entered guilty pleas in 2nd District Court last week after she admitted that while working as a cashier a Kohl’s store she failed to ring up $5,000 worth of merchandise her husband appeared to purchase in December 2016.

They’re scheduled to be sentenced May 31.

The WinCo Foods store awarded them a year’s worth of groceries last year through Operation Homefront.

Nicholas Mannino retired as a corporal in 2007 after six years in the U.S. Army.

Operation Homefront say the couple was selected because their family of eight was struggling on a limited disability income.