This is an update of the story I told you about here back in October. Muluneh Zeleke, a likely Ethiopian, admitted to ripping the taxpayers off to the tune of $1.2 million. That beats the Somali the other day who only got $400,000. But, you’ll see when you read the story that this scammer was pocketing 50 cents on the dollar, while the Somali took only a 30 cent cut. The more generous Somali didn’t know I guess that the going rate is 50 cents on the dollar (I know because I have followed these stories for years and the take is always 50 cents.)
From NewsOK:
An Oklahoma City convenience store owner has pleaded guilty to food stamp fraud.
Muluneh Zeleke, 55, of Oklahoma City, will be sentenced later. Prosecutors say he owes $1.2 million in restitution to the federal government.
He was indicted in October. He was identified then as the owner of Z&Z Convenience Store at 2445 Martin Luther King Ave.
He pleaded guilty Thursday in Oklahoma City federal court. He told a judge, “I want to take responsibility for my actions.”
This guy could have gotten into the US in any of several legal immigrant programs. He could be a refugee or an asylee. Maybe he even won the diversity lottery. Or, he is an E-2 Treaty Investor. Do you know we allow immigrants into the US if they have a certain amount of money and promise to open a business that employs as few as a couple of people? Ethiopia is an allowed country. The list is here.
I’m amazed that no enterprising investigative reporter ever looks into this program (if there still are investigative reporters!). There are even immigration lawyers in the US teaching would-be immigrants how to use this program and helping them buy convenience stores—surely you have noticed that your local convenience store is most likely owned by an immigrant.
I wonder if the immigration lawyer gets a cut of the food stamp scam money?
By the way, this is how you find the truth—-disallow the use of food stamps at convenience stores! Then we will see who can afford to own one!
ORR, where is the annual report to Congress?
Refugee food stamp use is probably going through the roof, but we don’t know that because the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) is sitting on the numbers and hasn’t sent an annual report to Congress since the 2007 report, here. They are required by law to send one each year and Eskinder Negash (head of ORR), and a former Ethiopian refugee who came up through the volag ranks, is now three years behind!
Note to investigative reporters and other curious readers: From one end of the country to the other, we have dozens of posts here at RRW on ‘food stamp fraud.’ Here is our archive. For a complete list you may also have to search for ‘food stamp scams.’