Saturday, November 23, 2013

Bodega owners busted in WIC fraud scheme


From NBC:

Homeland Security Investigations agents and police arrested more than two dozen store owners across the city Wednesday in welfare benefit fraud schemes totaling millions of dollars, authorities said.

Law enforcement officials say that instead of providing food and necessities, store owners allegedly cashed in Woman, Infant and Children (WIC) benefits and split the money with benefit recipients.

Some store owners allegedly cashed up to 20,000 vouchers per month, taking 20 cents on the dollar, law enforcement officials said. Officials said one store on Broadway in Elmhurst, Queens, processed more than 25,000 coupons in one month.

An average store usually collects about 200 coupons a month, authorities say.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Throw them all in jail and throw away the key! Let them rot!

Anonymous said...

Why is Homeland Security even involved in this. There are so many other Feral Agencies that should be involved.
Are we drifting into a single super Feral agency that is involved in every aspect of our lives? Sound like the SS in Germany.

Anonymous said...

Anon No. 2: Feral agencies? There are Federal agencies that roam in the wild?

Anonymous said...

Assume that those involved were sending these stolen funds overseas.
It falls under moneylaundering which often involves foreign/ terrorist groups.

Queens Crapper said...

Homeland Security is involved because these money laundering operations often support terrorism.

Anonymous said...

I'm so glad knowing that taxes are taken out of my check to pay for these services....

Thank you government, for creating programs that have flaws which allow my money to be given to the wrong people. Much appreciated.

Joe Moretti said...

Not surprising at all. Talk about money laundering and wanting to dig deep, someone should look into all the hundreds of delis just in Jamaica, not counting all of those beauty supply stores on Jamaica Avenue (13 just on Jamaica Ave at last count), the numerous furniture stores and of course the countless nail salons. They make up probably 70 percent of businesses in Jamaica. Always wondered why no one dug into this. Obviously something going on with these places.

Anonymous said...

Another example of the "Vibrant Diversity" that makes up the "Great Mosaic" that is New York City

Anonymous said...

Thats what those illegals do! They claim someone elses kid as theirs just so they can get welfare! Then the rest of them sell their childs social security number to other people so they can make money off of it. For instance, I am an illegal, I have a son. Tax time comes around and my cousin is legal here and files taxes but has no children, so I tell my cousin to pay me 400 bucks and they can claim my son on their taxes, so my cousin gets back a lot of money from the children tax credit and everyone is happy in the end! So they commit tax fraud too very often!

Joe Moretti said...

As much as I can get on the case of "low class immigrants" at times, the biggest scams in our country that actually have done some major harm, have been "white men". Madoff, CEO's of corporations, real estate bubble, mortgage fraud, etc.

Anonymous said...

"Homeland Security is involved because these money laundering operations often support terrorism."

Crapper, practically any activity that generates revenue could support terrorism. The war on terror has become just like the war on drugs, a perpetual job for the feds.

If we are serious about stopping terrorism, shut down the "refugee" program that brings people into the country unchecked from some of the worse hell holes in the world (somalia, syria, Kazakhstan... etc).

Also tighten up on student visas. MAny that come in never even attend classes and many more just stay after school. (i.e. Boston bombers)

As long as we have an open door policy we'll ALWAYS have terrorism.

Queens Crapper said...

Yes, but it's easier to raise money for terrorism via fraud as the funds are not as easily tracked.

Anonymous said...

They were also obamacare navigators on the side

Anonymous said...

why are there so many deli's owned by Yemini's??? why isn't there financial start up money for Americans?

The feds should check out the Rockaway Express at Rockaway Beach Boulevard and Beach 91st Street in Rockaway Beach, NY 11693. One of the owners was busted for dealing drugs upstairs.
something strange definitely going on there w/ WIC & Food Stamps. now the Yemini owned 99 cent store across the street is back up, they will go back to selling drugs like they did before the hurricane.