No one likes to be stung – whether by a bee, a bad belly flop into a swimming pool or by undercover government agents. (It’s just not comfortable.) Today’s “Fraud of the Day” from the Gwinnett Daily Post follows the story of a Georgia businessman who got caught in an undercover sting that revealed a fraudulent food stamp scheme responsible for bilking the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) of more than $1 million.
The story details that the scam involved the owner of six convenience stores. For more than two years, the store reportedly redeemed WIC vouchers valued at more than $2.3 million. (The WIC program provides supplemental foods as well as health care referrals and nutrition education for low-income women who are pregnant, breastfeeding or non-breast feeding following the birth of a child. It also covers children up to the age of five who are determined to be at nutritional risk.) The convenience store owner paid beneficiaries significantly less than the benefits were worth and kept the rest for himself.
While investigating a robbery at one of the stores, a log detailing a record of the owner’s illegal food stamp sales was discovered. (Did I mention that the amount of WIC and SNAP benefits redeemed at the store totaled approximately $2 million more than what the average store redeems?) To confirm suspicions, undercover agents were sent in for a sting and were able to illegally buy WIC vouchers and SNAP benefits.
The 47-year-old store owner was sentenced to five years and seven months for his illegal actions. He was also ordered to pay $800,015 in restitution.
This man’s greed defeated the purpose of the benefit programs, which aspire to make sure mothers, children and low-income families have nutritious food. (In this case, the government delivered a tough blow to the fraudster that will surely sting for some time to come.)
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