Just when I thought I could move on to other stuff, comes another case of food stamp fraud involving an immigrant-owned convenience store. At least there doesn’t appear to be a terrorist connection as in my previous report. I’m posting this one in case new readers aren’t sure how the scam is done. This alleged scammer was generous though—most in the food stamp rip-off business do a 50-50 deal.
From the Albany Herald:
Mayurkumar Patel, 31, was arrested at his father’s 701 N. Jefferson St. Downtown Eatery and More convenience store and restaurant at about 2:45 p.m. Tuesday, said Greg Edwards, Dougherty District Attorney.
By 6 p.m. Patel had not been booked into Dougherty County Jail, but he was expected, said a jail spokeswoman.
“The charges are financial transaction fraud and computer theft,” Edwards said. “He took thousands, in excess of $100,000, from a taxpayer program that is supposed to help people buy food.”
The way the scheme worked, according to Edwards, is that Patel would accept a Electronic Benefit Transfer system card meant to purchase food at his father’s store from customers.
Patel would then charge the food-stamp system as if food were purchased. Patel would give cash back to the customer instead of food, Edwards said.
“He operated like this,” Edwards said. “Say he took a card for $100. He would return $60 to the cardholder and keep $40 for himself.”
Note to people in refugee resettlement, you need to be alerting refugees that they can get into legal trouble for selling their privilege to purchase food by participating as the seller of the stamps. It is not just the buyer of the stamps who can go to jail.