Posted on 08/31/2016 12:44:49 PM PDT by Signalman
BALTIMORE (WBFF) -- More than a dozen Baltimore-area retailers are accused of misusing food stamps and defrauding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) of millions of dollars.
The indictments, announced Tuesday, come roughly three years after nine local retailers were charged in what prosecutors described as a "$7 million scheme" of trading food stamps for cash.
All the defendants in that case were convicted.
"Last year the Dept. of Agriculture Inspector General brought to our attention that many Baltimore-area retailers were continuing to rip-off the food stamp program," United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein said Tuesday. "With the support of the FBI we launched another large-scale investigation of food stamp fraud."
The investigation involved data analysis, confidential informants and undercover agents, surveillance and grand jury subpoenas.
As a result of the investigation officials returned nine indictments charging 14 people for defrauding the federal food stamp program, with a total loss of more than $16 million, Rosenstein said.
All 14 defendants were arrested Tuesday morning. Law enforcement officers also executed 26 federal search warrants and seized 46 bank accounts.
"In this case some greedy and corrupt store owners traded EBT credits for cash instead of food," Rosenstein said. "The store owner for example would give the customer $50 in cash and then would bill the Dept. of Agriculture $100. The store owner pockets the extra $50 and no food changes hands."
According to the indictments, the defendants below owned and/or Baltimore-area stores that were authorized to accept SNAP and were instructed on the requirements and regulations of the program:
Walayat Khan, age 36, of Reisterstown, Maryland; and Barbara Ann Duke, age 50, of Owings Mills, Maryland; Maria’s Market Place, 307 S. Broadway in Baltimore; and Royals Food Market, 921 E. Patapsco Avenue in Brooklyn, Maryland. From October 2013 to June 2016, Khan and Duke allegedly obtained more than $1,486,118 in payments for food sales that never occurred.
Shaheen Tasewar Hussain, age 60, of Ellicott City, Maryland;Shop & Save, 301 Crain Highway South, Suite D, Glen Burnie, Maryland. From July 2014 through October 2015, Hussain allegedly obtained more than $778,183 in payments for food sales that never occurred.
Kelym Novas Perez, age 34, of Baltimore; and Jose Remedio Gonzalez Reyes, age 50, of Baltimore; Kelym Grocery, 2734 Pennsylvania Avenue in Baltimore. From August 2013 through March 2016, Perez and her husband, Gonzalez Reyes, allegedly obtained more than $879,500 in payments for food sales that never occurred.
(See webpage for remainder of names)
Prosecutors say the defendants face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for each count of wire fraud; a maximum of five years in prison for conspiracy to commit food stamp fraud and wire fraud; and a maximum of five years in prison for food stamp fraud.
Rosenstein was joined by FBI Special Agent in Charge Kevin Perkins and USDA - OIG Investigations Special Agent in Charge William G. Squires, Jr., at the briefing.
I’ve heard you can buy seeds with food stamps as they eventually produce food.
Using that logic, shouldn’t you be able to buy a hunting rifle and ammo to provide food as well? Not to mention fishing equipment.
I’m shocked I tell you....shocked.
/sarc off/
There was a guy that lived here who would go down the street to the [now defunct] food mart and use his food stamp card to buy beer and cigarettes. The muslim owner hosed him by charging him double the cash price for his goods. The musbag has another store out by the interstate. And that’s how the scum always rises to the top, by cheating—just like the dem0crats!
Lot of foreign names listed here.
I have doubts they are all citizens.
Americans are tired of being ripped off.
Is there any major U.S city where this is not happening on a large scale?
(rhetorical question)
I guess these few that were caught never donated to the Clinton Foundation.
Walayat Khan, age 36
Shaheen Tasewar Hussain, age 60
Kelym Novas Perez, age 34
Mulazam Hussain, age 54
Mohammad Shafiq age 50
Mohammad Irfan, age 59
Mahmood Hussain Shah, age 57
Rizwan Pervez, age 38
Kassem Mohammad Hafeed age 51
Nearly all Amish types. This is what Obama is letting into this country.
Wow, who’da thunk it!
THAT’S ALL?
I suspect they are the Asian merchants that bleed welfarians of our taxpayer dollars; they are the only ones still doing “business” in the ‘hood - and now we know why.
The ONLY thing unusual about this is that they were caught, and publicized.
They must have declined to pay the corruption tax to the local Baltimore Democrats.
Well, the Book does tell them that it is OK to rip-off the non-Muzzies.
Glad these bums got caught.
Now, what about the bums who were getting the cash with their EBT cards?
Back in the day, when they were still actual food stamps and not EBT cards, I worked in food stamps as an account clerk. I worked in the department that gave out and accounted for the atp’s (authorization to purchase).
On the 1st of the month the atp’s were delivered to everyone including what we called General Delivery. Those were sent to a certain post office in town so the transients could pick them up there. If they weren’t picked up by a certain date they were sent back to us and logged in as not delivered. If the transients wanted them they then had to come to the food stamp office and pick them up and could then cash them in for the stamps.
I couldn’t tell you how many times I gave the atp’s to them, then cashed it right there, and then when we got off work at 5 o’clock the transients were waiting by the back door as we went out trying to sell the stamps to us. Lol. Used to irritate the heck out of me. There were also markets and liquor stores in the are that would buy them for 50% of their value. The food stamps were paying for their liquor one way or the other.
Many of the shops in Mondawmin mall have always taken food stamps in exchange for “other” services and products... It’s a parallel society.
“Walayat Khan, age 36
Shaheen Tasewar Hussain, age 60
Kelym Novas Perez, age 34
Mulazam Hussain, age 54
Mohammad Shafiq age 50
Mohammad Irfan, age 59
Mahmood Hussain Shah, age 57
Rizwan Pervez, age 38
Kassem Mohammad Hafeed age 51”
...trying to find a common thread between all of these people...
.
Pretty discouraging, huh? And the beat goes on....
Walayat Khan, 36, of Reisterstown
Barbara Ann Duke, 50, of Owings Mills
Shaheen Tasewar Hussain, 60, of Ellicott City
Kelym Novas Perez, 34, of Baltimore
Jose Remedio Gonzalez Reyes, 50, of Baltimore
Mulazam Hussain, 54, of Windsor Mill
Mahmood Hussain Shah, 57, of Catonsville
Muhammad Rafiq, 58, of Reisterstown
Mohammad Shafiq, 50, of Gwynn Oak, Maryland
Mohammad Irfan, 59, of Nottingham
Rizwan Pervez, 38, of Essex
Kassem Mohammad Hafeed, a/k/a Kassam Mohammad Hafeed, 51, of Baltimore
These talented newcomers sure do have the assimilation thing down pat--- if by that we mean, "assimilation to the criminal class".
`
`
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.