Hundreds of undercover investigations in New York City ended with enforcement action against 170 stores. The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the results of what it calls Operation SNAP Back on September 18. Several of the cases were referred to the department’s Office of Inspector General for criminal prosecution.
The targets were bodegas, convenience stores and grocery stores in all five boroughs, USDA’s Food and Nutrition Administration said. Investigators looked at two kinds of violations. One is SNAP trafficking, where a store hands over cash in exchange for benefits. The other is ringing up ineligible items, such as alcohol, on an EBT card…