U.S. Attorney for Mass. Announces Charges in $7M SNAP Trafficking Case, Says Shops Are Being Setup with the Sole Purpose of Exchanging SNAP Benefits for Cash

FOLEY We are announcing ░░░░░░░░ charges against two men ░░░░░░░░ Bohneur and Saul Alisme ░░░░░░░░ large scale SNAP benefit ░░░░░░░░ a scheme that turned ░░░░░░░░ program designed to feed ░░░░░░░░ into a multi million ░░░░░░░░ criminal enterprise SNAP benefits ░░░░░░░░ also known as food ░░░░░░░░ The defendants are charged ░░░░░░░░ one count of food ░░░░░░░░ fraud As alleged in ░░░░░░░░ charging documents these men ░░░░░░░░ one of the government ░░░░░░░░ most critical safety net ░░░░░░░░ for their own financial ░░░░░░░░ This is taxpayer money ░░░░░░░░ to keep people from ░░░░░░░░ hungry These defendants decided ░░░░░░░░ take it for themselves ░░░░░░░░ defendants exchanged SNAP benefits ░░░░░░░░ cash which they pocketed ░░░░░░░░ a naturalized U S ░░░░░░░░ from Haiti owned the ░░░░░░░░ Variety Store Alisme a ░░░░░░░░ permanent resident also from ░░░░░░░░ owned the Saul Mache ░░░░░░░░ Store These two businesses ░░░░░░░░ co located within a ░░░░░░░░ storefront in Boston To ░░░░░░░░ certain these were not ░░░░░░░░ They were not full ░░░░░░░░ groceries It would be ░░░░░░░░ huge stretch to even ░░░░░░░░ them convenience stores In ░░░░░░░░ the only thing convenient ░░░░░░░░ these stores was how ░░░░░░░░ it was to commit ░░░░░░░░ benefit fraud To put ░░░░░░░░ in perspective the Jesula ░░░░░░░░ Store is less than ░░░░░░░░ square feet in size ░░░░░░░░ than some bathrooms The ░░░░░░░░ Mache Mixe Store was ░░░░░░░░ 500 square feet in ░░░░░░░░ By contrast a supermarket ░░░░░░░░ be 20 000 to ░░░░░░░░ 000 square feet in ░░░░░░░░ have a dozen or ░░░░░░░░ registers and employ numerous ░░░░░░░░ Both the Jesula Variety ░░░░░░░░ Saul Mache Mixe stores ░░░░░░░░ one register no carriages ░░░░░░░░ hand baskets and very ░░░░░░░░ food for sale One ░░░░░░░░ supermarket in the same ░░░░░░░░ as these stores redeems ░░░░░░░░ 80 000 in SNAP ░░░░░░░░ per month Over the ░░░░░░░░ 20 months the Jesula ░░░░░░░░ Store was redeeming between ░░░░░░░░ and six times that ░░░░░░░░ monthly with nowhere near ░░░░░░░░ space inventory customers or ░░░░░░░░ to support it The ░░░░░░░░ Mache Mixe Store redeemed ░░░░░░░░ 120 000 in SNAP ░░░░░░░░ in the last six ░░░░░░░░ Simply put there is ░░░░░░░░ plausible way SNAP eligible ░░░░░░░░ could have been purchased ░░░░░░░░ these stores for this ░░░░░░░░ Yet these two stores ░░░░░░░░ alleged to have illicitly ░░░░░░░░ nearly 7 million in ░░░░░░░░ benefits.”