PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Federal authorities have sentenced an Italian man after discovering that he stole millions of dollars worth of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon has announced that Giovanni Spirea, who was “unlawfully residing” in the state, will serve 24 months in prison. He was additionally sentenced to three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $61,874.32 in restitution.
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Officials reported that the 29-year-old man was one of several co-conspirators who used electronic skimming devices to steal the food benefits, convert the stolen data onto fraudulent Electronic Benefit Transfer cards and use the cards to buy products.
According to the Attorney’s Office, the conspirators purchased “large quantities” of items like infant formula and energy drinks from grocers throughout Oregon, Washington and California. Investigators found that the group bought more than 120,000 pounds of products, storing them in residences and storage units throughout the Pacific Northwest before moving them to California with “private vehicles or via commercial carriers.”…