AG Todd Blanche: On September 1, We Began a Surge Against SNAP Fraud, and in Seven Weeks We’ve Uncovered $42M in Fraud

RUSH EXCERPT:
BLANCHE: "What we did, starting on September 1st of this year so less than two months ago seven weeks ago, is we started a surge to focus to focus a lot of our efforts using the inspector general from the Department of Agriculture who’s here on the stage with us today and members of the HSI DHS federal agents, to focus on SNAP fraud In that time, we have we have uncovered forty-two million dollars in fraud associated with the SNAP the SNAP program This fraud comes in all different ways It comes from from these criminals actually stealing the money off the cards off the cards that are used to purchase food by our most needed in the country It comes from from just outright theft and taking money from the people that are supposed to be receiving receiving these efforts. To put this number in perspective two hundred and 20 thousand two hundred and 20 thousand Americans could have eaten for the entire month of October If it were not for this forty-two million dollars in front So this is not some small little effort by just like the man that you just saw on that screen This is a concerted effort to literally take food out of the mouths of children and it’s going to stop So we have we have US attorneys on the stage behind me we have the inspector general from the Department of Agriculture behind me and they are leading the effort to stop this We’ve indicted men and women in 13 different districts just in the past seven weeks and that effort will continue for as long as it takes"