LANSING, Mich. — The Michigan Attorney General's Office said Tuesday that three Detroit party store employees are facing felony charges in connection with food stamp trafficking totaling more than $100,000.
Attorney General Bill Schuette said federal authorities launched an investigation into Randy's Market using undercover officers and surveillance after a suspicious number of food stamp transactions at the store were noticed.
Schuette said, during the course of the investigation, undercover officers were able to purchase things not covered by their benefits, such as cigarettes, alcohol and magazines.
Between October 2009 and October 2010, employees of the market conducted about 44 fraudulent transactions with undercover agents.
One example of the fraudulent transactions, Schuette said, was an undercover agent asking store employees for $25 in cash and to purchase a pack of cigarettes, while store employees charged the benefit card $50 for the transaction, pocketing the extra $25.
According to the AG's office, a review of food stamp transaction data from August 2009 through December 2010 revealed that similar neighboring stores disclosed an average cumulative monthly amount of food stamp transactions of $2,482 per store. The monthly food stamp transactions at Randy’s Market during the same period averaged $9,084, or 365 percent more than the average monthly volume of comparable stores. Based on food stamp transactions in excess of comparable store averages from August 2009 through December 2010 [[$6,602), the estimated amount of food stamp fraud attributed to the owner and employees of Randy’s Market exceeds $112,234.
The store's owner, Sara Shango, 24, of Shelby Township, is charged with one count of conspiracy to conduct a criminal enterprise, or racketeering.
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Her husband, Rouni Abdul-Ahad, 29, of Shelby Township, is also charged with one count of conspiracy to conduct a criminal enterprise, one count of conducting a criminal enterprise and one count of food stamp trafficking.
Also charged is Omar Sami, 20, of Troy, with one count of conducting a criminal enterprise, one count of conspiracy to conduct a criminal enterprise and one count of food stamp trafficking.
All three defendants were arraigned in 36th District Court on Monday. The defendants are next due in court April 15.
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