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Warwick Shop Owner Serving Probation for Food Stamp Fraud

US DOJWarwick, RI – The owner of Express Food Mart at 1260 Post Road and his wife are serving probation for their part in $3.6 million dollars in food stamp fraud by 11 shop owners and employees uncovered by a recently ended federal investigation.

Waqif Qadir and his wife, Asra, were sentenced to several years’ probation and ordered to pay $580,000 restitution each on May 22 after they pleaded guilty in February 2014 to conspiring to defraud the food stamp program.

Waqif  was sentenced to 5 years probation, the first 12 months to be served in home detention. Asra was sentenced to to 3 years probation.

In September 2013, United States Attorney Peter F. Neronha, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Office of Inspector General, the USDA Food and Nutrition Service – Retailer Investigations Branch, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation and the Rhode Island State Police announced that an investigation revealed that the Qadirs, along with several other criminally charged store owners and/or their employees, allowed SNAP benefit recipients to use their Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards to exchange their SNAP benefits for cash, a violation of the program’s laws and regulations.

In return, the defendants added a surcharge to the recipients’ withdrawal of SNAP benefits, usually an amount equal to the amount of cash benefit received by the recipient.

The Qadirs were not the only people caught by the investigators.

On Friday, Amir Rasheed, owner of Stop & Go convenience store in Providence, was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison to be followed by three years supervised release, and ordered to pay the government restitution in the amount of $400,000. Rasheed pleaded guilty in February 2014 to conspiring to defraud the food stamp program, food stamp fraud and money laundering; Karuna Mehta, the manager of Stop & Go, pleaded guilty in December 2013 to one count of conspiracy to commit food stamp fraud and seven counts of food stamp fraud.

Mehta was sentenced in April 2014 to time served in federal prison, 3 years supervised release and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $400,000; Mashhod Afzal, an employee of Stop & Go, pleaded guilty in December 2013 to one count each of conspiracy to commit food stamp fraud and making false statements. He was sentenced in March 2014 to two years probation and ordered to pay restitution to the government in the amount of $1,402.

Mustafa Al Kabouni, owner of the Corner Store and the Regency Mart in Providence, was sentenced on Sept. 5, 2014, to 36 months in federal prison to be followed by three years supervised release and ordered to pay restitution to the food stamp program in the amount of $1,927,755.

He pleaded guilty in February 2014 to one count of conspiracy to commit food stamp fraud, three counts of food stamp fraud, eight counts of wire fraud and six counts of money laundering; Mohamad Barbour, manager of Corner Store, was sentenced in March 2014 to 5 years probation and ordered to pay restitution to the food stamp program in the amount of $1,634,755. He pleaded guilty in December 2013 to conspiracy to commit food stamp fraud; Mohammad Amir Al Kabouni, an employee of Regency Mart, pleaded guilty in February 2014 to one count of conspiracy to commit food stampfraud and four counts each of food stamp fraud and wire fraud. He was sentenced on Sept. 5, 2014, to 3 years probation and ordered to pay restitution to the government in the amount of $293,000; and Muhammad Eid Al Kabouni, an employee of Regency Mart, pleaded guilty in February 2014 to one count of food stamp fraud. He was sentenced in May 2014 to two years probation and ordered to pay restitution to the food stamp program in the amount of $2,662.88.

Glenda Lopez, owner of the Dugout convenience store in Providence, was sentenced in December 2013 to 18 months in federal prison to be followed by 3 years supervised release – the first 6 months to be served in home confinement – and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $398,000 to the food stamp program. Lopez pleaded guilty on October 4, 2013, to conspiracy to commit food stamp fraud, money laundering and filing a false tax return.

On December 19, 2013, Cristina Ramirez, owner of Cristina’s Market in Providence, was sentenced to12 months and 1 day in federal prison to be followed by 3 years supervised release – the first 8 months to be served in home confinement – and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $399,000 to the food stamp program. Ramirez pleaded guilty on October 4, 2013, to conspiracy to commit food stamp fraud and money laundering.

The convenience store owners charged are disqualified by the USDA from participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

“The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program was created to provide food and nutrition to those who truly need this assistance. Those who are involved in fraud and abuse of SNAP and other USDA programs will be aggressively pursued by our office,” USDA Office of Inspector General, Special Agent-in-Charge William G. Squires Jr.

Rob Borkowski
Author: Rob Borkowski

Rob has worked as reporter and editor for several publications, including The Kent County Daily Times and Coventry Courier, before working for Gatehouse in MA then moving home with Patch Media. Now he's publisher and editor of WarwickPost.com. Contact him at [email protected] with tips, press releases, advertising inquiries, and concerns.

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