OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – Two Norman residents have been sentenced in federal court for cashing Social Security checks for a disabled woman they’re accused of killing.
In January 2018, court documents say Margarita Sandoval moved in with Desiree Fransen (aka Desiree Sanchez) and Octavio Sanchez.
Sandoval’s other relatives last heard from her in February 2018. Her body was discovered in May 2021, wrapped up in a plastic-wrapped box in the basement of a home on W. Lindsey St.
Sandoval had a cognitive disability and her Social Security Disability checks went to Fransen.
Fransen and Sanchez continued getting the money from Sandoval’s social security checks until the day her body was found, according to court documents.
Federal prosecutors say they took $30,912 in benefits for their own personal use, plus $3,200 from economic impact payments in Sandoval’s name.
On January 18, 2023, Sanchez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit a crime against the United States and aggravated identity theft. On January 25, 2023, Fransen pleaded guilty to those same crimes.
United States District Judge Joe Heaton sentenced the pair Monday.
Fransen was sentenced to 36 months in federal prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release.
Sanchez was sentenced to 48 months in federal prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release. He has been in federal custody since July 2021 for an unrelated federal firearms conviction.
The court also ordered them to pay $34,112 in restitution.
Both Fransen and Sanchez are charged by the state with Murder in the First Degree and Unauthorized Removal of a Dead Body.
Last month, a jury trial was set for Sanchez in late September.
A trial date has not yet been set for Fransen, but is expected to take place in October or November.