Texas Grocer Gets Prison For Food Stamp Fraud

By: AP

Posted: Fri 3:25 PM, Jan 25, 2013

A North Texas grocer who ran an unlicensed money transmitting business has been sentenced to nearly five years in prison for fraud.

A federal judge in Fort Worth on Friday sentenced Ali Ugas Mohamud of Arlington and ordered him to pay more than $1.4 million in restitution. Mohamud owned Tawakal Grocery Store, which participated in the state's electronic public assistance program.

He pleaded guilty last fall to seven counts of food stamp fraud, five counts of wire fraud and to conducting an unlicensed money transmitting business.

Investigators say Mohamud exchanged food stamp benefits for cash or wired money to other individuals in Somalia using food stamp benefits. Mohamud also wired thousands of dollars from Affiliated Computer Services Inc., which operates EBT management for retailers, to his bank in Arlington.

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Texas Grocer Gets Prison For Food Stamp Fraud

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