Grocery Store & Food Stamp Fraud
GROCERYSTORE FRAUDS CONTINUE
MIDDLE-EASTERN SCAM –
STEALING FROM AMERICA
Recent history of small grocery stores throughout the nation has proven to be a bastion for criminal fraud against business, multi-national corporations and even the Federal Government.
Like many before them, now comes Mohamad Issa, a grocery store manager from Miami, which has been arrested and charged with alleged numerous counts of fraud and money laundering. This is the result of a Joint Task Force of Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Local Police and Federal Agencies investigation into Food Stamp Fraud.
The case in point is the laundering of Food stamps, by cashing them for patrons, keeping half and paying out half to the food stamp recipient. What a price for cash! This problem has ongoing for the past 20 years in small mom & pop grocery stores, mostly owned by Middle Eastern or Latin controlled storefronts.
The problem is more than just fraud. It points to a system that fails to address Food Stamp recipients who are mostly on the lower economic spectra of America’s society, therefore, if it looks like cash and can be converted into cash, it will become cash.
Mohamad Issa and his associate Jehad Hassan found an easy “get rich quick” scheme by converting Food Stamps into cash, transacting them with the front of a Grocery Store in a low income community, where cash rules, as street money. It’s a community that doesn’t know about 401K’s or retirement planning. Mostly it’s based on daily survival, week to week paychecks to live and a community flooded by illegal drug trade, and petty criminal behavior.
It’s reported by FDLE (Florida Department of Law Enforcement) that more than a dozen food stamp recipients transacted more than $4.2 million in cash, transacting and keeping half of the proceeds, paying out the difference in cash, rather than the food stamp being used to purchase food. This is a national problem. Seen before in communities throughout America, often seen in the local bodega, grocery store or Arab Minim-Mart, these transactions often go undetected. Another government hand-out program, meant for good, but inundated by fraud.
During the late 1980’s storefronts operating in Florida, Madison, Wisconsin, Philadelphia and New York, all managed by middle eastern grocery store owners were processors of food stamp cash transactions, a good method to gather cash, without reporting the money.
In this particular fraud, the storefronts are located in Liberty City, Miami, Florida, an inner city low income community. The location is the same community where Adnan Bahhur and his family and associates ran a $186 million dollar coupon fraud operation during the 1980’s. Bahhur’s operation involved numerous storefronts within Liberty City, and his associates around the United States. In all, 72 store owners were arrested in a sting operation in 1989. During that investigation, Bahhur used the identity of PLFP, PLO (Palastian Liberation Organization), and his uncle George Habash, the leader of the PLFP (Peoples Liberation Front for Palestine). It was determined that approximately $186 million was diverted as a result of the fraud operation.
In this current case some 20 years after Bahhur, agents allege that the stores falsified its records to show inflated and phony food purchases that it deducted from customers electronic food stamp cards. This is a type of credit card that allows for purchasing of food. It is supplied by the government and is a national food program.
The transactions split the money between the store owners and the customers. The amounts transacted were between $40 to $200. At times, it’s alleged the money was transferred from the store’s bank account to employee personal bank accounts or withdrawals as cash. This scheme took place from 2003 through 2006. The investigation began in 2006.
The storefronts in question are; Gina’s Supermarket, Miami Florida and Diamond’s Grocery located at 6600 NW 22 Ave., Miami, and Florida. The principles are Mohamad Issa, Jehad Hassan and Nassar Hassan.
It is my experience that alleged criminal behavior as found in these stores often finds coupon fraud and other criminal activity taking place within the grocery storefronts. Who’s checking the storefront history for coupon transactions? It’s difficult to monitor such behavior when a corporation such as IOS is itself through its officer alleged to be participants in coupon fraud.
What makes this matter similar, is the same behavior that other middle–eastern storefronts during the 1990’s like that owned and operated by Zion Isa a Abu Nidel operative, with close ties to Hamas and then dictator Saddem Hussein. Isa operated storefronts in the Mid-West and participated in adulteration of baby foods, coupon fraud and food stamp fraud. The saga continues!
Tell us what you think!!!
MIDDLE-EASTERN SCAM –
STEALING FROM AMERICA
Recent history of small grocery stores throughout the nation has proven to be a bastion for criminal fraud against business, multi-national corporations and even the Federal Government.
Like many before them, now comes Mohamad Issa, a grocery store manager from Miami, which has been arrested and charged with alleged numerous counts of fraud and money laundering. This is the result of a Joint Task Force of Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Local Police and Federal Agencies investigation into Food Stamp Fraud.
The case in point is the laundering of Food stamps, by cashing them for patrons, keeping half and paying out half to the food stamp recipient. What a price for cash! This problem has ongoing for the past 20 years in small mom & pop grocery stores, mostly owned by Middle Eastern or Latin controlled storefronts.
The problem is more than just fraud. It points to a system that fails to address Food Stamp recipients who are mostly on the lower economic spectra of America’s society, therefore, if it looks like cash and can be converted into cash, it will become cash.
Mohamad Issa and his associate Jehad Hassan found an easy “get rich quick” scheme by converting Food Stamps into cash, transacting them with the front of a Grocery Store in a low income community, where cash rules, as street money. It’s a community that doesn’t know about 401K’s or retirement planning. Mostly it’s based on daily survival, week to week paychecks to live and a community flooded by illegal drug trade, and petty criminal behavior.
It’s reported by FDLE (Florida Department of Law Enforcement) that more than a dozen food stamp recipients transacted more than $4.2 million in cash, transacting and keeping half of the proceeds, paying out the difference in cash, rather than the food stamp being used to purchase food. This is a national problem. Seen before in communities throughout America, often seen in the local bodega, grocery store or Arab Minim-Mart, these transactions often go undetected. Another government hand-out program, meant for good, but inundated by fraud.
During the late 1980’s storefronts operating in Florida, Madison, Wisconsin, Philadelphia and New York, all managed by middle eastern grocery store owners were processors of food stamp cash transactions, a good method to gather cash, without reporting the money.
In this particular fraud, the storefronts are located in Liberty City, Miami, Florida, an inner city low income community. The location is the same community where Adnan Bahhur and his family and associates ran a $186 million dollar coupon fraud operation during the 1980’s. Bahhur’s operation involved numerous storefronts within Liberty City, and his associates around the United States. In all, 72 store owners were arrested in a sting operation in 1989. During that investigation, Bahhur used the identity of PLFP, PLO (Palastian Liberation Organization), and his uncle George Habash, the leader of the PLFP (Peoples Liberation Front for Palestine). It was determined that approximately $186 million was diverted as a result of the fraud operation.
In this current case some 20 years after Bahhur, agents allege that the stores falsified its records to show inflated and phony food purchases that it deducted from customers electronic food stamp cards. This is a type of credit card that allows for purchasing of food. It is supplied by the government and is a national food program.
The transactions split the money between the store owners and the customers. The amounts transacted were between $40 to $200. At times, it’s alleged the money was transferred from the store’s bank account to employee personal bank accounts or withdrawals as cash. This scheme took place from 2003 through 2006. The investigation began in 2006.
The storefronts in question are; Gina’s Supermarket, Miami Florida and Diamond’s Grocery located at 6600 NW 22 Ave., Miami, and Florida. The principles are Mohamad Issa, Jehad Hassan and Nassar Hassan.
It is my experience that alleged criminal behavior as found in these stores often finds coupon fraud and other criminal activity taking place within the grocery storefronts. Who’s checking the storefront history for coupon transactions? It’s difficult to monitor such behavior when a corporation such as IOS is itself through its officer alleged to be participants in coupon fraud.
What makes this matter similar, is the same behavior that other middle–eastern storefronts during the 1990’s like that owned and operated by Zion Isa a Abu Nidel operative, with close ties to Hamas and then dictator Saddem Hussein. Isa operated storefronts in the Mid-West and participated in adulteration of baby foods, coupon fraud and food stamp fraud. The saga continues!
Tell us what you think!!!
Labels: BALSIGER, FOOD STAMP FRAUD, IOS FRAUD
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home