The day just wouldn’t be complete without an immigrant food stamp fraud scam to report. Actually I had this one last night, but had forgotten about it until now.
Judging by their names, these convenience store owners and employees sound like Middle Easterners.
From the Detroit News:
Detroit —Food stamp fraud charges alleging the manipulation of more than $100,000 in welfare benefits were filed today against the owner and two employees of a Detroit party store by the state’s attorney general.
Sara Shango, 24, of Shelby Township, owner of Randy’s Market, 18054 Mount Elliott; her husband, Rouni Abdul-Ahad, 29; and employee Omar Sami, 20, of Troy were arraigned Monday in the city’s 36th District Court on a variety off fraud charges and criminal racketeering charges punishable by up to 20 years in prison. They were ordered to return April 15 for a preliminary examination on the charges. [Did you ever wonder how a couple of twenty-somethings came to own a store!—ed]
Tax dollars stolen (lots of them!):
The charges were the result of a joint investigation dating back to October 2009 by the Michigan State Police, U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General. The probe began when federal authorities noticed monthly food stamp transactions at Randy’s Market were more than 365 percent higher than the monthly average volume of comparable stores, according to a statement issued today by Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette.
“Today’s charges should send the message that we will not stand by while tax dollars are being stolen,” Schuette said in the statement released by his Lansing office.
Bankrupt Michigan loses $55 million a year on food stamp scams! Think about it! This bust was for a heist of $100,000. Imagine how many more crooks are out there to bring the total take up to that $55 million mark.
Schuette’s office said the Michigan Department of Human Services estimates about four percent of all food stamp transactions in the state are fraudulent, amounting to about $4.6 million in illegal transactions every month: about $55.2 million per year. Wayne County alone accounts for slightly less than a third of the state’s food stamp transactions, which translates to an estimated $16 million in food stamp fraud per year.
Tomorrow I think I’ll tell readers what to look for, and maybe you can help bust some of these scammers in your neighborhood!
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