Egads! What is going on in Minnesota? It’s not just MN Rep. Ilhan Omar making news, but now we see that Democrat Rep. Collin Peterson—the dean of the Minnesota delegation!—is making news by telling Trump:
“I’ll guarantee you it’s not going to happen.”
Peterson is Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee which means he must have received the Nancy Pelosi stamp of approval! He is referring to the Trump initiative to tell states they must enforce work requirements for able-bodied adults receiving food stamps!
Peterson’s district is considered the most Republican in the state, but obviously not Republican enough or they wouldn’t have re-elected him to represent them since 2007.
The district has a growing Somali population due to BIG MEAT/POULTRY wanting the cheap refugee labor. Continue reading “Minnesota Rep: We aren't going to make Food Stamp recipients work!”→
The latest news in the case of 68-year-old Nagy Mohamed Abdelhamed ripping off the taxpayers of Pennsylvania and the US ishereat the York Dispatch.
But as is so often the case with these crooks, in order to illustrate the news the media must use graphics and stock images like the one I’m using because there is NO PHOTO of the perp to be found!
York man guilty, defrauded feds of about $30K in Medicaid benefits
A York-area man scammed the U.S. government by fraudulently accepting nearly $30,000 in Medicaid and food stamps despite owning a gas station and having some $86,000 tucked away in eight bank accounts, according to federal officials. This made me laugh! Creeping Sharia tells Abdelhamed’s story and illustrates it with this image! https://creepingsharia.wordpress.com/2019/01/02/muslim-medicaid-fraud/ Nagy Mohamed Abdelhamed, 68, no street address provided, pleaded guilty Tuesday, Feb. 5, to felony health-care fraud in Harrisburg’s federal court, according to court records.
[….]
In August 2014 Abdelhamed applied for Medicaid as well as food stamps, which are now called Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. He didn’t disclose in the application the fact that he owned a four-bedroom home, a York-area gas station and a 2008 Mercedes Benz E350, his federal indictment states. On disability too: He also was already receiving $1,124 a month in Social Security disability benefits and, at the time, had about $56,000 in eight separate bank accounts, according to the indictment.
In his Medicaid/SNAP application, he lied and said he had no monthly income and owned no property besides his home, the indictment states. He also failed to disclose the money in his bank accounts or his Mercedes, officials said.
More here.
The Justice Department’s press release is here.
What should you do? Every time you see a story in a local publication or on the local news that does not show a photo (or mention the nationality) of the perp, contact the news desk and ask why there is no photo and what is his/her immigration status. I know it’s unlikely they will produce one (or have any clue where the ‘new American’ is from), but it sends a signal that you notice their little tricks.
Thanks to reader Diana for spottingthis newsat Judicial Watch which uses the shockingly awful Ohio food stamp fraud bust I reported, herein late January, to say that the feds are taking way too long and the penalties aren’t stiff enough to deter this massive fraud.
They cite the case of the Ohio father and son who ripped off US taxpayers for nearly $3 million and also polluted a local waterway with “bodily fluids” from an illegal halal slaughter business—a story that everyone should continue to send out on social media (use the JWpost this time!).
Food Stamp Fraud on the Rise as Government Allows “Retailer Trafficking”
Weeks after a federal audit blasted the government for failing to curb rampant fraud in its multi-billion-dollar food stamp program, two Ohio men have been indicted for operating a $2.7 million scheme that spanned six years. One of the men, 59-year-old Amin Salem, is a convicted felon with a history of food stamp fraud yet the feds took six years to bust him and he remained a qualified food stamp retailer. The other man, Mohamed Salem, is his 32-year-old son and federal prosecutors say they operated a highly lucrative food stamp trafficking ring in the Cleveland area with the help of a buddy named Zahran al-Qadan.
[….] Though this operation sticks out among others, Food stamp fraud has been pervasive for years and the alarming numbers have been well documented by the government. The USDA’s most recent figures show about $1.1 billion in food stamp fraud a year.Nearly 12% of retailers authorized by the government to accept food stamps engage in illegal practices, according to the agency. Judicial Watch has reported extensively on the rampant fraud in the program that costs American taxpayers a bewildering $64 billion annually to provide more than 20 million households with free food. Less than a year ago, nearly 200 people were arrested in Florida for operating a sophisticated ring in which 22,000 fraudulent food stamp transactions totaling $3.7 million were documented by a task force of local and federal authorities. In 2016 the feds busted the largest food stamp fraud operation in history, a $13 million enterprise run by flea market retailers in the largely black and Hispanic areas of south Florida’s Miami-Dade County known as Opa-Locka and Hialeah.
[….]
A USDA division called Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) is responsible for rooting out the type of fraud and corruption that continue plaguing the food stamp program. “As of November 2018, FNS had not implemented this authority,” according to congressional investigators. “By failing to take timely action to strengthen penalties, FNS has not taken full advantage of an important tool for deterring trafficking.”
Go toJW here for the whole story and to follow links for more information.
Do you have a suspicious convenience store or small gas nation near you that accepts food stamps? Keep an eye on their activities. Some signs of a possible on-going fraud include large numbers of people going in and out every day with few purchases (if any!) when they come out. Also look for poorly, or nearly bare shelves as a sign that selling groceries is not a priority.
See this earlier post that includes information about the GAO study.
The Westlake “man” (men) who is alleged to have ripped off US taxpayers for $2.7 million is a ‘new American’ from somewhere in the Middle East.
I hate to resort to photos like this one, but unfortunately it is rare to see a photo of the ‘new American’ fraudsters!
Of course none of the stories I’ve found mention the nationality (or immigration status) of the man and his son indicted by the US Justice Department yesterday in what may be the most egregious case of fraud I’ve seen in ten years of following these stories!
Rather than summarize the stunning news, here is the first half of the press releasefrom US Attorneys Office of the Northern District of Ohio. (Emphasis is mine)
A Westlake man with a history of food stamp fraud was indicted on charges that he continued to illegally accept food stamps at seven Cleveland-area gas stations, laundered the profits, illegally had firearms, operated an unregulated slaughterhouse and polluted a stream by dumping animal blood and other fluids into it. Amin M. Salem, 59, and Mohamed Salem, 32, were both indicted on one count each of conspiracy to launder money and one count of engaging in real estate transactions using laundered funds.
Papa Salem had previous convictions for food stamp fraud!
Amin Salem is additionally charged with one count of making unpermitted discharges into a waterway, one count of distribution of adulterated, misbranded or uninspected meat and one count of being a felon in possession of firearms. That charge stems from Amin Salem having an AR-15 rifle and a Savage 12-gauge shotgun, despite previous convictions for conspiracy to defraud the United States, food stamp fraud, mail fraud, and money laundering.
Mohamed Salem, also of Westlake and Amin’s son, is also charged with trafficking in counterfeit goods for his sale of counterfeit clothing and apparel.
Zahran al-Qadan, 55, of Cleveland, was indicted on one count of conspiracy to launder money.
Prosecutors are seeking to forfeit properties at 43588 Stang Road and 7250 West Ridge Road in Elyria owned by the Salems.
According to the six-count indictment: Amin Salem secretly owned several area gas stations: Henry’s Marathon at 3106 Fulton Road; Gas Way at 10606 Bellaire Road; Turney Sunoco at 6009 Turney Road in Garfield Heights; Harvard Gas USA at 7020 Harvard Ave.; Bellaire Gas USA at 3934 West 117th Street; Rapid Stop at 1712 East 55th Street and Memphis Shell at 7210 Memphis Ave. Mohamed Salem managed the gas station’s finances of behalf of his father. The gas stations had terminals to accept and process Electronic Benefits Transaction (EBT) cards as part of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps.
Papa Salem was not permitted to own stores due to previous convictions, so Mohamed was running them!
The gas stations and the EBT terminals inside were in the names of Mohamed Salem or another person, since Amin Salem was prohibited from owning stores that processed EBT transactions because of previous convictions for food stamp fraud and related crimes. The gas station terminals were used by the Salems to process more than $2.7 million in fraudulent SNAP transactions between 2010 and 2016.
The words halal slaughter are absent, but you know what this was all about!
Blood and bodily fluids went in to Ohio’s Black River
Amin Salem slaughtered lambs and goats at his propertyon Stang Road in 2015 and 2016. He sold the meat, which was not inspected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He also caused, without a permit, the discharge of blood and other bodily fluids from the slaughtered animals into Engle Ditch, which flows into the Black River and eventually Lake Erie.
There is actually much more in the US Attorney’s press release (click here). Joe Cimperman of Global Cleveland https://globalcleveland.org/about/staff/ One of yours Joe?
My first thought was to wonder where the ‘Welcoming Cleveland’ propagandists are about this ‘new American’ entrepreneur in their midst! (Westlake is a suburb of Cleveland). Hereis what Global Clevelandwants you to know:
“Immigrants strengthen our community in so many ways, and one of them is by opening businesses,” said Joe Cimperman, president of Global Cleveland, in a written statement. “These businesses do more than create jobs. They add vitality to our neighborhoods and become part of the cultural tapestry that makes Cleveland so special. They reflect our deepest DNA and remind us of the best of ourselves.”
What can you do? If you live in the Cleveland area send the DOJ press release to Global Clevelandand to everyone you know! If you live elsewhere, this story must get out to social media because the national big media never reports these stories!!!
The Sandusky Registerlast week urged the 9,000 plus recipients of SNAP (food stamp) benefits to get their cards recharged soon as officials fear that money from the feds could be curtailed due to the shutdown and because many new people might be applying. However, interesting to me in this story is a section at the end about alerting authorities if you see fraud. SNAP Fraud alert posters appeared and disappeared quickly in the Washington. DC metro system last year!
You might recall the controversy in Washington, DC last spring when signs went up in the metro system alerting people about how to spot SNAP fraud. The DC government reacted quickly and had them removed “…apologizing to residents for sharing a message that is not a reflection of our values.” (See the storyat Breitbart)
Here is a bit of the story from theSandusky Register,
About 9,300 local recipients at risk of receiving food stamps
Erie County, officials distribute about $1 million monthly to the 9,300 recipients!
SANDUSKY — An ongoing partial federal government shutdown could open up a possibility in which thousands of Erie County residents won’t receive a monthly payment to purchase food.
Erie County Job and Family Services workers on Monday issued an alert to the 9,300 active Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program local recipients about obtaining their February benefits as soon as Wednesday, two weeks earlier than normal. Officials and recipients often shorten the phrase to “SNAP,” referred to by others as “food stamps.”
Agencies nationwide want to release February’s SNAP benefits ahead of time so recipients can best prepare themselves and their dependents.
But why is this happening?
In short, only enough money exists to provide these users — many of which are guardians or custodians with multiple children and senior citizens on fixed incomes — their normal financial allotment placed on Electronic Benefit Transfer cards through February.
But, after that, there’s no guarantee the U.S. Department of Agriculture can keep funding this program, leaving agencies, such as Erie County Job and Family Services, hamstrung in helping out people. The shutdown has significantly scaled back department operations. Many of its workers, for instance, aren’t getting paid, and various services overseen by the department have been reduced or altogether stopped.
But then much to my surprise the articlegoes in to a discussion about SNAP fraud:
Figuring out food stamp fraud
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program , or SNAP, benefits can only be used for food and for plants and seeds to grow food for your household to eat. SNAP benefits cannot be used to buy:
• Any nonfood item, such as pet food; soaps, paper products, and household supplies; grooming items, toothpaste, and cosmetics
• Alcoholic beverages and tobacco
• Vitamins and medicines
• Any food that will be eaten in the store
• Hot foods
“If people see abuse, report it to us, and we will investigate if that person’s benefits are being sold or abused,” said Vicki Bayer, Erie County Job and Family Services’ deputy director of community services.
Of course the “sold” part refers to the massive fraud of trafficking in food stamps.
New GAO study!
A new GAO studywas released last week outlining the amount of fraud and what the government needs to do to stop it.
If you don’t know how trafficking works they have a cool graphic to show you.
A summary begins with this:
Millions of households rely on the $64 billion Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps, to buy food. But some stores are defrauding the program by “selling” cash instead of food. For example, a store might give a person $50 in exchange for $100 in benefits—then pocket the difference.
How widespread is this “retailer trafficking”? The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) reports that $1 billion in benefits are trafficked annually. However, the real extent is uncertain and could be anywhere from $960 million to $4.7 billion.
Looking for something to do? Anyone who has been suspicious about a small grocery store, a gas station, or convenience store near you, should take the time to see what the GAO says and then consider turning the store in for investigation.
Endnote: As I build this website, I’ll be developing categories for your future reference. See my Food Stamp fraud category by clicking here.
For a more extensive catalog of Food Stamp fraud stories visit RRW, here.
The latest news in the case of 68-year-old Nagy Mohamed Abdelhamed ripping off the taxpayers of Pennsylvania and the US is
What should you do? Every time you see a story in a local publication or on the local news that does not show a photo (or mention the nationality) of the perp, contact the news desk and ask why there is no photo and what is his/her immigration status. I know it’s unlikely they will produce one (or have any clue where the ‘new American’ is from), but it sends a signal that you notice their little tricks.
What can you do? If you live in the Cleveland area send the DOJ press release to 
