TACOMA, Wash. – A 64-year-old owner of a small Tacoma market was charged for wire fraud and SNAP benefit fraud after allegedly paying customers cash for money loaded onto their Electronic Benefits (EBT) card and making a profit from the misused funds.
The United States Attorney’s Office in the Western District of Washington said that in 2024, the store owner, the store won authorization to accept SNAP benefits. The next month, the Attorney’s office said, the store owner agreed to give SNAP recipients with cash.
This transaction would involve the store owner offering to charge $200 to a SNAP recipient’s EBT card in exchange for $100 cash. The result would be $100 profit for the store owner due to the illegal use of SNAP benefits…