They allegedly reaped hundreds of thousands of dollars through food stamp fraud, selling drugs and trafficking in stolen property, then sent money to Pakistan.
Readers, since the availability of the facebook page Diversity’s Dark Side, run-of-the-mill immigrant food stamp frauds will be posted there, but this one had a couple of juicy bits that add to our extensive archive on food stamp fraud here at RRW.
From the Herald Net (Hat tip: ‘pungentpeppers’):
EVERETT — A police raid on a downtown mini-mart Tuesday morning was the culmination of a 17-month investigation into food-stamp fraud.
Fraz A. “Tony” Mushtaq, 34, the owner of the A One Smoke & Grocery store at Everett and Colby avenues, is suspected of paying people cents on the dollar for access to their state food-benefits cards.
He also is under investigation for allegedly buying and selling merchandise shoplifted from area stores, money laundering and selling an illegal form of synthetic marijuana known as “spice,” police say.
Everett police believe a significant amount of the store’s inventory has been ill-gotten, said Lt. Jim Duffy, who leads the special investigations unit.
The police department has received complaints about the store for several years, he said.
[….]
Police believe the amount of stolen merchandise moved through the store, including pop, energy drinks and cigarettes, could total in the millions of dollars. Careful financial investigation has documented hundreds of thousands of dollars in questionable transactions, Duffy (Lt. Jim Duffy) said.
The police have been investigating this case since 2012. So, did he already have US citizenship or get it after the investigation had begun?
Mushtaq is from Pakistan and became a U.S. citizen a couple of years ago, Duffy said. Investigators believe he was sending money from his store back home to Pakistan.
And, this next bit is ludicrous! Everett investigators claim the money was not used for any “improper activities” in Pakistan! We are expected to believe these local investigators (or anyone else!) were able to follow the money in Pakistan! Not to mention the fact that tax dollars from food stamp fraud going to a foreign country constitutes an “improper” activity all by itself!
They found no evidence the money was being used there for any improper activities, Duffy said.
For new readers: Immigrant-perpetrated food stamp fraud became a side interest here at RRW in 2008, click here for our extensive archive.