PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — At least 40 charged in Oregon-led crackdown on SNAP fraud schemes that stole over millions of dollars in benefits using stolen EBT data, involving multi-state indictments.
Officials with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon made the announcement in a press conference on Wednesday. The suspects now face federal charges linked to more than $3 million in unauthorized Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) purchases. They say multiple groups carried out organized schemes by stealing Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card information, often using skimmers, then buying large amounts of SNAP-eligible items in Oregon, Washington and California.
“When SNAP benefits are stolen, real families go without food,” said Scott E. Bradford, U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon. “That is unacceptable. My office will continue pursuing these cases to safeguard the integrity of the program and uphold the trust placed in us to protect Oregon’s communities.”…