I haven’t been posting food stamp trafficking stories lately (I am still hoping someone will start a blog devoted entirely to immigrants scamming our welfare system), but ‘Pungentpeppers,’ knowing I’ll be in St. Louis next week, thought it would be fun to find stories from there involving, in this case, an Iraqi criminal, most likely a refugee.
WE have been bringing in Iraqis for probably close to 20 years, but are now admitting a whopping just short of 20,000 a year under the refugee program and 3/4 of them are Muslims.
It was only last week that we learned that a federal resettlement contractor plans to help make the St. Louis area the most highly diversified area in the country by 2020.
When your city becomes a “welcoming” city for refugees and other immigrants, the welfare scammers will follow.
From St. Louis Today:
ST. LOUIS • The owner of a St. Louis grocery store and bakery was sentenced in federal court here Wednesday to 15 months in federal prison for food stamp fraud.
Jalil Al-Hanoosh, 53, of St. Louis, bought food stamps from customers of his Babylon Grocery & Bakery at a discounted rate, then redeemed them for full price from the government, prosecutors said. He also allowed customers to use the stamps, formally known as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, for unauthorized purchases such as cigarettes, phones, rugs and other non-food items, they said.
The grocery is located at 3803 Meramec Street.
Prosecutors said that the the grocery redeemed about $148,000 in illegal benefits from January 2008-May 2012. The benefits are supposed to go towards keeping lower income individuals and families from going hungry.
Al-Hanoosh pleaded guilty in October to one count of wire fraud and two felony of food stamp fraud.
We have a huge archive going back years on food stamp fraud at mostly immigrant-run convenience stores, click here. We have a lot of news lately from St. Louis too, for more go here.