Two Somali specialty market owners in Ohio were recently charged with running a $10 million food stamp fraud operation.
Hassan Nuriso and Abdurahim Nuriso, former owners of Towfiq Market in Columbus, Ohio, were charged by a federal grand jury with conspiring to fraudulently redeem benefits over a nine-year period, according to WCMH.
“It’s very clear in all the regulations what you can and can’t do,” Assistant U.S. Attorney David Bosley said about the case. “You can’t give food stamps for cash, you can’t buy items that are not allowed under the food stamp program, you can’t buy things that aren’t food, and you can’t give credit.”
The brothers allegedly converted illegally redeemed benefits and coupons into money to use for other purposes. In total, the Nuriso brothers are accused of fraudulently redeeming $8 million of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits and $2.1 million of Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children benefits from 2010 to 2019.
The Trump administration has been active in its effort to reform food stamp programs and the welfare system as a whole.
In December, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Purdue announced the finalization of a rule that tightened guidelines regarding when states can waive limits on how long residents can receive benefits. The administration has imposed restrictions requiring people between the ages of 18 and 49 without children who receive food stamps for more than three months in a three-year span to go to school, job training, or volunteer in order to keep receiving benefits.
Despite efforts to crack down on food stamp abuse, instances of food stamp fraud have been prevalent over the last few years.
Breitbart News compiled a list of nine food stamp schemes uncovered over the last several years totaling over $20 million in fraud.
“Under my administration, 7 million Americans have come off of food stamps, and 10 million people have been lifted off of welfare,” President Trump said in his State of the Union address.
