A San Francisco woman who pleaded no contest in September to falsely claiming to be a victim after the pipeline explosion in the Crestmoor neighborhood to receive benefits was sentenced to nine months in jail, the district attorney's office said.
Niesha Taylor, 27, of San Francisco was also placed on three years' probation Wednesday by San Mateo Superior Court Judge Lisa Novak.
Taylor was charged with felony second-degree burglary, identity theft and providing a false or forged document after she and a second suspect, , 27, of Oakland were arrested shortly after the fire for going to a temporary assistance center and applying for benefits, claiming their property had been destroyed in the blast.
Bennett, who has been out of custody on $50,000 bail, is expected to return to court Dec. 1 to continue a preliminary hearing that was started in October, the district attorney's office said.
Taylor was among seven people arrested on suspicion of fraud in the aftermath of the blast that left eight people dead and 38 homes consumed in the fire.
