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The words “no fair” are usually uttered by people who don’t get what they want. (These words, which are usually associated with whiny kids, have also been known to come from the lips of criminals when caught committing fraudulent acts.) An article on WCPO.com regarding the alleged involvement of two Ohio-based companies in a $2 million food stamp scam gives details as to why employees of the businesses, honest taxpaying citizens and deserving beneficiaries have a legitimate right to cry “no fair” in response to their alleged illegal actions.
The article states that drivers for two different companies sold meat door-to-door and accepted payment from Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards. (There’s nothing wrong with that; however, the drivers allegedly paid 50 cents on every dollar of benefits in exchange for narcotics, cash and an occasional meat product.) Two drivers purportedly collectively gave informants $2,820 in cash, 13 oxycodone pills and two packages of meat. (Oops! You never know who your customer might be.) The EBT benefits were then turned in for reimbursement.
Supposedly, the government reimbursements were used to pay rent on the expensive home of one of the company’s owners and buy luxury cars and guns.
Additional research discovered that agents raided the two companies located in two different counties after an 18-month long investigation that used a variety of confidential sources and undercover agents. Two owners of one company and the owner of another company were among 14 people charged in what could be considered the largest case of food stamp fraud ever uncovered in Ohio. (According to a related article, the food stamp fraud loss in Ohio in 2014 was $5.3 million, so this case represents approximately 40 percent of that chunk.)
These alleged criminal acts affected many people, including the honest employees of the two companies who were likely questioned about the purported scheme by authorities; citizens who faithfully pay their taxes; and, lastly, underprivileged beneficiaries who need to put food on the table.
It is important to note that those charged in this case are innocent until proven guilty. When it comes to fair play, one thing the defendants can be sure of is that they will receive the right to a fair trial by a justice system intent on winning the war on fraud.
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