You are probably thinking, that’s all!  Fifty-one months for ripping off the federal taxpayer to the tune of $612,000 in two years.  Honestly readers, that is a long sentence for convictions involving trafficking in food stamps.  Many of these guys (and women!) are released in 18 months.  And, I have yet to see one report of anyone being deported after doing time in the slammer.

And, heck, we just had a story here in December in which we were told that many of the food stamp fraudsters had a previous criminal record and were still allowed to set up convenience store businesses that trade in food stamps. That is the case for this guy Noha Fofana!

Back in August of last year, I first reported on Noha Fofana who had a previous record for visa fraud and immigration fraud, read all about it here.

Now this is the latest from the FBI on Fofana’s sentencing:

A 55-year-old Flint man was sentenced to more than four years in prison and more than $600,000 in restitution on January 8, 2013, for conspiring to commit food stamp fraud, U.S. Attorney Barbara L. McQuade announced today.

McQuade was joined in the announcement by Joe N. Smith, Special Agent in Charge of USDA-Office of Inspector General, and Robert D. Foley, III, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Detroit.

U.S. District Judge Mark A. Goldsmith sentenced Noha T. Fofana to 51 months in federal prison, to be followed by a three-year term of supervised release. Fofana was also ordered to pay $612,980.96 in restitution to the USDA-Food and Nutrition Service. This amount is to be paid jointly and severally with Fofana’s co-defendant, Akhir K. McFarland, who was sentenced on December 18, 2012, to 16 months in federal prison for his participation in the conspiracy.

Evidence introduced during the trial established that Fofana, the owner of Mandingo African Market, redeemed more than $750,000 in food stamp benefits from February 2009 to July 2011, approximately $612,000 of which was obtained utilizing fraudulent “food stamps-for-cash” exchanges. The U.S. Department of Agriculture-Office of Inspector General (USDA-OIG), which funds the food stamp program, calculated that during that same time period, Mandingo’s average food stamp redemption amount was $26,798 per month—compared to an average of $5,479 monthly redemption for other convenience stores in the area.

For new readers, if you are wondering why I write about immigrant food stamp fraud cases here at RRW, it’s because no one else does and it has become a side hobby for me.  And, besides, most of these stores are in communities where large numbers of immigrants have been “welcomed” and are on food stamps.  This is the redistribution of wealth straight up!—your tax dollars to the crooks!  And, the crooks include those who SELL their benefits for cash.

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