Florida woman uses ‘botox’ to explain age in fraudulent hurricane aid, police say

A 44-year-old Florida woman accused of using her mother’s identity to apply for hurricane aid told a Bradenton city employee that she looked so much younger because of botox, the police department said Saturday.

Veronica Torres was charged with a third-degree felony count of filing a false public assistance claim after she applied for and received almost $8,000, the Bradenton Police Department said.

She used her mother’s ID, name and social security number to file the assistance claim, saying that she was forced to move out of her home due to hurricane damage, police said.

When the Torres arrived to pick up the check Thursday a city employee challenged her on her appearance compared to the age in the application.

“Her explanation of ‘botox treatments’ failed to convince the employee,” police said in a statement. Torres was asked to return on Friday and was arrested, police said.

The case did not appear to be in online court records Saturday, and it was not clear if Torres had an attorney who could speak on her behalf. She is free after posting $2,500 bond, jail records show. A phone number for Torres could not immediately be found.

Bradenton is a city of around 55,000 north of Sarasota, on the state’s western coast. That area was affected by powerful Hurricane Helene as it passed by in September, and in October Hurricane Milton made landfall in Siesta Key, just south of Sarasota.