Two area women were sentenced to probation sentences Friday for defrauding the Michigan Department of Human Services of Cass County.

Cass County Circuit Judge sentenced Diana Dawn Sattelmaier, 54, of Marcellus and Adela Cruz, 38, of Benton Harbor, each to 18-months probation on charges of welfare fraud over $500. The two cases were not related to each other.

Both women were also required to pay the amount of money they had illegally obtained, totaling $7,194 and $3,965 respectively.

According to Dodge, the charges against Sattelmaier occurred after she and her husband, while receiving public assistance from the Department of Human Services from April 2009 to September 2011, secured employment and started receiving income that she failed to report to

the department.

“You had reported no income for you and your husband, and you also had an obligation to notify the department if there were any changes in that income status,” Dodge said. “It obviously would affect the amount of benefit that you receive.”

During that period, the couple gathered more than $7,000 worth of assistance they would not have received if their employment had been reported, Dodge said.

Sattelmaier pleaded guilty to the charge on April 1.

The judge sentenced Sattelmaier at the lowest end of the penalty guideline, as she had no criminal record prior to her arrest.

“I just deeply regret my lapse in judgment, and I’m very ashamed of what I did,” Sattlemaier said, when asked for comment by the court. ”I’m just looking forward to making it right.”

The charge against Cruz stems from her stint on pubic assistance, from March through July in 2010. During that period, she not only received funds from Michigan, but also from the Texas as well. She received nearly $4,000 she wouldn’t have collected otherwise.

“If Michigan knew about the Texas benefits, you wouldn’t have received those funds,” Dodge said.

Cruz pleaded guilty.

Also sentenced Friday were:

• Heidi Mia Heckman, 50, of Goshen, to two years probation for operating while intoxicated. The charge stems from an incident that occurred on March 23 in Cassopolis. Heckman was driving her vehicle on Broadway Street when she was pulled over by a Village of Cassopolis police officer on suspicions of speeding. The officer noticed signs of intoxication, and a preliminary breath test showed that she had a .17 percent blood alcohol level. She pleaded guilty to the charge on April 1.

• Stephanie Marie Mosier, 24, of Niles, to one year probation for procession of an analogue substance and procession of marijuana. The charges stem from an incident that occurred on March 4 in Niles.