An Oklahoma City convenience store owner indicted on federal welfare fraud charges was convicted by a jury this week for defrauding the federal food stampprogram.The jury found him not guilty of three related counts of witness tampering.
In February 2014, Srindha Ravi Dirisina, 35, owner and operator of the Welcome Mart on W. Reno, became eligible to accept food stamps under the SupplementalNutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) of the USDA. Under this program, Dirisina and his employees were permitted to accept SNAP cards for payment ofqualified food purchases. Each pre-loaded SNAP card functions like a debit card for qualified purchases, with the federal government reimbursing thestore owner for the purchases.
However, it only took a year and a half of accepting SNAP cards before Dirisina was indicted for SNAP fraud. Federal prosecutors accused the store ownerof paying cash for customers' SNAP cards, paying them 50 cents on the dollar. Customers could then use the cash to buy unauthorized (and sometimesillegal) items, and the store owner was able to use the cards for full reimbursement from the USDA program.
A jury convicted him of defrauding the food stamp program out of $147,603.31 between February 2014 and his indictment in July 2015. He faces up to5 years in prison, with sentencing to take place in approximately 90 days.
What is SNAP fraud? It is any unauthorized use of the federal food stamp program, and it can be committed by either a SNAP recipient or a retailer approvedto take SNAP payments:
Whether a SNAP recipient or retailer, committing fraud can result in temporary or permanent disqualification from the program. It is also punishableby federal misdemeanor or felony fraud charges.
Find out more about SNAP fraud here, or click hereto contact an Oklahoma defense lawyer about your case.
