Camden store owner sentenced in $1.2M food stamp scheme
A Camden grocery store owner who stole $1.2 million in a food-stamp scheme was sentenced Monday to two years in prison, authorities said.
A Camden grocery store owner who stole $1.2 million in a food-stamp scheme was sentenced Monday to two years in prison, authorities said.
Kaher Abdullah, 58, of Philadelphia, operated the Express Food Mart on South Broadway. It accepted food stamp benefits for the federal Supplemental Nutrition and Assistance Program.
Abdullah allowed those who qualified for the program to redeem those benefits for cash - instead of food - for 50 cents on the dollar, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
He received $1.2 million from such exchanges between November 2011 and October 2014, authorities said. Abdullah then paid for personal expenses with the money, investigators said. He must pay back the full amount.
Abdullah pleaded guilty in May in federal court in Camden to theft of government funds.
On Monday, U.S. District Judge Joseph H. Rodriguez said Abdullah must participate in three years of supervised release after his prison term.
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