A man from Noble, Oklahoma, has pleaded guilty to running a sham farm stand that processed about $212,194.58 in fraudulent SNAP benefits. Steven Eugene Melton Jr., 41, entered the plea on Nov. 2 to theft of government property and SNAP benefits fraud, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Oklahoma said. He faces up to 20 years in federal prison, and no sentence has been announced.
According to the prosecutors’ announcement, issued Nov. 6, the business was authorized in June 2023 and processed payments through May 2024. Melton admitted that he converted the benefits for his own personal use, the office said…