The owner of a Santa Ana produce truck has been charged with illegally trafficking Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits after federal investigators alleged the business processed unusually high volumes of food assistance transactions that far exceeded those of nearby competitors, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Federal prosecutors said 48-year-old Esmeralda Soriano, who operates Soriano Produce, faces two counts related to the alleged exchange of SNAP benefits for cash. Investigators contend the food truck generated SNAP redemption figures that outpaced many nearby grocery stores despite recording significantly fewer individual transactions, MyNews La reported.
According to court documents, Soriano Produce became an authorized SNAP retailer in 2023 and operated with a single point-of-sale device. Authorities said the business drew scrutiny because of a pattern of unusually large purchases and rapid consecutive transactions that investigators described as potential indicators of fraud, California Post said…