Minnesota Grocer Abdidwahid Mohamed Charged Over $1M EBT Fraud Scheme

 WHAT HAPPENED: Minnesotan grocer Abdidwahid Mohamed has been charged with defrauding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) out of over $1.1 million.

 DETAIL: The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also called food stamps, provides monthly benefits to low-income individuals and households to supplement their grocery budget. It is the largest federal anti-hunger program in the United States. However, SNAP is regularly abused through fraudulent schemes that redirect public funds into private pockets. This week, Abdidwahid Mohamed, owner of Minnesota Food Grocery LLC, was charged with using stolen Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards to purchase goods for resale at his grocery store. Mohamed allegedly used the EBT cards of people who were either out of the country or claimed to have never shopped at the stores where the cards were eventually used. Mohamed made purchases at Costco and Sam’s Club, according to surveillance and GPS data collected by the authorities.