This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Another defendant pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor Friday in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints food stamp case, and the deal will prevent a church-connected business from accepting food stamps.

Preston Yates Barlow pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to a misdemeanor count of aiding and abetting fraud involving the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) — the formal name for what many still call food stamps.

Barlow will not serve any jail time or probation, nor will he pay a fine or restitution, said his attorney, Scott C. Williams.

But Barlow's business, the Meadowayne Dairy Store in Colorado City, Ariz., will no longer be able to accept SNAP benefits. Williams said that was part of an agreement reached with both federal prosecutors and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service, which oversees SNAP.

That part of the deal is also what held up Barlow's guilty plea. Most other defendants in the case, where FLDS members were accused of using other people's SNAP benefits or converting those benefits to cash, were resolved months ago.

"It took a lot of continued work to iron out the administrative side of things," Williams said.

In all, seven defendants have pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor, and two other pleaded guilty to a felony. The charges against one defendant were dismissed.

Only one defendant remains charged with the counts originally issued by the grand jury. Lyle Jeffs, a former bishop and the brother of imprisoned FLDS President Warren Jeffs, remains charged with one felony count of attempting to defraud SNAP and a felony count of attempting to launder money.

Lyle Jeffs absconded from home confinement in June. He remains at large.

Meadowayne was one of two businesses accused in the scheme. The other business, Vermilion Cliffs Produce, no longer appears on the list of approved SNAP retailers. A spokesperson for the Food and Nutrition Service did not immediately return a call seeking comment on Friday.

Twitter: @natecarlisle