Party Store Workers Charged With Welfare Fraud

[GUSHI]

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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[GUSHI]

I went to the Mejer in Rochester last week and noticed to Arabic ladies using a bridge card, while holding keys to a newer model Mercedes and both had abunch of gold around their necks and on their fingers, I hate the wazy people work the system.

[One Shot]

Ya know if ya can't beat 'em join 'em. Only difference is we can't run back to our native country or just change our name.
I hate people who pull this crap regardless of ethnicity. Just rubs me the wrong way when the ethnic ones do it and think their better than everyone. Your just POSERS!

On a related note why is it a crime when a citizen cheats the government but not when the government cheats the citizen?

[GUSHI]

Hopefully the local will go to a different party store, why give them business at all.

[Just Amazed]

I went to the Mejer in Rochester last week and noticed to Arabic ladies using a bridge card, while holding keys to a newer model Mercedes and both had abunch of gold around their necks and on their fingers, I hate the wazy people work the system.

And [[being as I work for a Dr in the Metro area) I can guarantee they are getting MEDICAL CARE also. I have recently changed jobs and am in an area [[Sterling Hts) that a majority of our patients are of an Arabic persusation. THE majority are on Medicaid. With many of them being on medicare and medicaid. It is very frustating to me as I have worked all my life and my insurance [[through my husband, who also has worked all his life) doesn't pay for anywhere near what these people are getting for benefits. So, I have to agree, I AM IRATE AT THE WAY people are working the system.

[Just Amazed]

And on another note, a question of curiousity, does anyone know why most of the people from foreign countries have a birthdate of 07 01 ??. I have just encountered this on patient registrations and honestly am curious as to why they have a birthdate of July 1.

[fryar]

Don't even talk to me about Arabs ripping off the system! I hate that!
And blacks who don't raise their kids right! Dammit!
Oh, and the white folks and their perverse conspiracies to expropriate city properties! Unbelievable!

And strangely, these scammers all have vanity plates! Why is that?

[JTistle1]

I went to the Mejer in Rochester last week and noticed to Arabic ladies using a bridge card, while holding keys to a newer model Mercedes and both had abunch of gold around their necks and on their fingers, I hate the wazy people work the system.

How did you know that the keys they were holding were to a newer model Mercedes? You must have pretty good eyes! LOL

[GUSHI]

Well the keys were a newer style Benz key, not the one were you press the release and the key pops out. 20 20 vision and I use to work @ manage a body shop.

[JBMcB]

The worst I've seen was a couple ahead of me at Meijer's buying milk, eggs, OJ, cereal, etc... with a Bridge card - around $30. Then they rang up $100 of junk paid with cash - chips, frozen dinners, beer, candy, ice cream. My cousin worked at Vegas on Kelly for a few years said that this was a common occurrence.

[jtf1972]

Not surprised one bit.

How about this... Ask where the employees & owners live. If it's not Detroit, go elsewhere. [[It won't stop fraud, but will help stem the bleeding of money from the city.)

[Bham1982]

I tend to be a general supporter of redistributionist social programs, but a recent incident gave me pause.

My wife and I attended a party for one of my wife's co-workers in Sterling Heights. They live in a big, new house [[twice the size of ours) and have three late-model cars [[all more expensive than ours). They also have all kinds of fancy gadgets that we do without, such as giant TVs, high-end video game systems, 1000-channel satellite TV, etc.

I went with the woman's husband to buy some party snacks at the local Meijer. I couldn't believe it when he casually pulled out the food stamp card.

Guess my wife and I are doing it all wrong, trying to save every nickel for our [[future) kids and house!

[Detroitej72]

I tend to be a general supporter of redistributionist social programs, but a recent incident gave me pause.

If your such a supporter of said programs, you wouldn't use right wing talking points like "redistributionist" when talking about them.

[bailey]

I tend to be a general supporter of redistributionist social programs, but a recent incident gave me pause.

My wife and I attended a party for one of my wife's co-workers in Sterling Heights. They live in a big, new house [[twice the size of ours) and have three late-model cars [[all more expensive than ours). They also have all kinds of fancy gadgets that we do without, such as giant TVs, high-end video game systems, 1000-channel satellite TV, etc.

I went with the woman's husband to buy some party snacks at the local Meijer. I couldn't believe it when he casually pulled out the food stamp card.

Guess my wife and I are doing it all wrong, trying to save every nickel for our [[future) kids and house!

That would be the problem with redistributionist social programs. They morph from social safety net to lifestyle choice very quickly which will genuinely fuck over those that really need it due to those bilking the system.

[Bham1982]

If your such a supporter of said programs, you wouldn't use right wing talking points like "redistributionist" when talking about them.

I don't think it's a right-wing talking point.

Social programs are, by nature, redistributionist. Folks of greater means are helping folks of lesser means. From my perspective, this is a good and equitable thing, provided the program results in some measurable social good. I tend to have a bit of Western Europe-social policy bias.

For example, I don't like the Michigan flat income tax. Very regressive. There should be differing brackets based on income. And I'm not a huge fan of sales tax increases, given that they're targeting the poor.

I remain a general supporter of food stamp programs, especially for mothers with children. But I think there must either be extensive fraud or lax standards, because how can homeowners with 3 cars and two middle-class incomes have a food card?

I know their wife's income is around 40k. The husband probably makes more. They have one child. So let's say household size of three, and around 90k household income. While hardly affluent, I don't see how that would meet the standards for food stamps. I thought the program was for single mothers and the like, not working homeowners in Sterling Heights.

[Detroitej72]

The only people I hear calling it redistributionist are the right wing shrills, everyone else refers to it as social programs. Con's have made the word seem like a negative term, yet never have any problem with corporate welfare, which is redistribution of wealth from the middle class to the wealthy elite.

After reading your explanation, I now understand your point of view. I misunderstood your thoughts, thanks for the clarification.

[bartock]

I don't think it's a right-wing talking point.


I remain a general supporter of food stamp programs, especially for mothers with children. But I think there must either be extensive fraud or lax standards, because how can homeowners with 3 cars and two middle-class incomes have a food card?

I know their wife's income is around 40k. The husband probably makes more. They have one child. So let's say household size of three, and around 90k household income. While hardly affluent, I don't see how that would meet the standards for food stamps. I thought the program was for single mothers and the like, not working homeowners in Sterling Heights.

I don't know. You said earlier that they lived in a big, new house, twice the size of yours with three late-model cars and all kinds of fancy gadgets." Most of us even with a kid would have to make about 125K in order to take home 90K...and we still have to pay for groceries. Take that 90K that they probably aren't paying taxes on [[stealing from both ends), add free monthly groceries and you are getting pretty affluent.

[bartock]

And [[being as I work for a Dr in the Metro area) I can guarantee they are getting MEDICAL CARE also. I have recently changed jobs and am in an area [[Sterling Hts) that a majority of our patients are of an Arabic persusation. THE majority are on Medicaid. With many of them being on medicare and medicaid. It is very frustating to me as I have worked all my life and my insurance [[through my husband, who also has worked all his life) doesn't pay for anywhere near what these people are getting for benefits. So, I have to agree, I AM IRATE AT THE WAY people are working the system.

An ER doc out of Oakwood told me that it is the #1 Hospital for fraud in MI. Said it is a cultural thing.

That being said, it seems that for every fraudulent patient there is a fraudulent physician, and not enough attention is paid to that.

[ghettopalmetto]

I don't know. You said earlier that they lived in a big, new house, twice the size of yours with three late-model cars and all kinds of fancy gadgets." Most of us even with a kid would have to make about 125K in order to take home 90K...and we still have to pay for groceries. Take that 90K that they probably aren't paying taxes on [[stealing from both ends), add free monthly groceries and you are getting pretty affluent.

We also don't know how much some of these folks are receiving in handouts from their families. That kind of thing doesn't always show up on a W2 or 1040.

[Bham1982]

I think the family, which happens to be immigrant, has their parents from the old country live there for a few months per year. Maybe they count the parents in their household size for taxes and food stamps?
And the husband does construction, which could be an all-cash affair.

But I still don't get it. There has to be fraud. I thought food stamps were for folks below the poverty line.

And as an aside [[and this is not specific to immigrants or folks on food stamps), I don't get how folks afford all their gadgets. I see tons of Metro Detroiters with a boat, two pickup trucks, a McMansion and a cottage up north, and I don't think they're pulling in the big bucks.

My household income is fairly high for the region, and we could never afford all these things. And we don't even have kids yet! How do folks afford all these things?

[jbd441]

The sad thing is this fraud isn't even the tip of the iceberg. Funny when Obama first announced his healthcare plan and was asked by others how he would fund it, he mentioned cracking down on fraud. But that is a hopeless cause.
To realize by eliminating medicare/medcaid fraud the govenment could afford healthcare for everyone is astounding.
Don't get me started on SSI. My stepdad sent back his SS checks when he was of retirement age but the government kept right on sending them to him including the COL raises.
The goverment has been raiding the SS surplus for years and then announces from other of the other side of their asses that the fund will be depleted in a few years.
This is why entitlement programs suck and why it is beyond belief this fraud continues unabated.

[guito13]

The sad thing is this fraud isn't even the tip of the iceberg. Funny when Obama first announced his healthcare plan and was asked by others how he would fund it, he mentioned cracking down on fraud. But that is a hopeless cause.
To realize by eliminating medicare/medcaid fraud the govenment could afford healthcare for everyone is astounding.
Don't get me started on SSI. My stepdad sent back his SS checks when he was of retirement age but the government kept right on sending them to him including the COL raises.
The goverment has been raiding the SS surplus for years and then announces from other of the other side of their asses that the fund will be depleted in a few years.
This is why entitlement programs suck and why it is beyond belief this fraud continues unabated.

So true.

1) Stop handing out what is basically money to people, make them come to a distribution center and hand out the actual good [[food, clothes, etc.)
2) If someone is found cheating the system, put them in a federal POUND ME IN THE @SS prison with no perks for 3 months.
3) No un-documented persons should get ANY assistance.

[bartock]

So true.

1) Stop handing out what is basically money to people, make them come to a distribution center and hand out the actual good [[food, clothes, etc.)
2) If someone is found cheating the system, put them in a federal POUND ME IN THE @SS prison with no perks for 3 months.
3) No un-documented persons should get ANY assistance.

and...God forbid...that might even create a few jobs.

[sumas]

Strange did not really think about this but a person who has long since passed keeps getting SSI info to our address.

Keep sending back info this person is dead but they don't seem to get it. Just general incompetance. I think he has been dead about 15 years and know his cremains are in the yard under a tree planted in his honor.

I never knew Teddy Bear [[his knick name) and it doesn't creep me his ashes are in the yard but does disturb me greatly that a federal agency can't seem to figure out he is dead. Kind of reminds me of the Monty Python skit about the dead parrot.

The tree is thriving by the way.

Back to thread. Fraud.

I guess, most folks who get assistance use it right. The story of the folks living large but getting assistance is either an urban legend or should be reported.

[Zacha341]

Hah! Costco's, SAMS and Walmarts etc. are ready to roll out such distribution centers I suppose in return for some government subsidy... stranger things have happened. No birth cakes and slabs of salmon though. Just the basics.

So true.

1) Stop handing out what is basically money to people, make them come to a distribution center and hand out the actual good [[food, clothes, etc.)
2) If someone is found cheating the system, put them in a federal POUND ME IN THE @SS prison with no perks for 3 months.
3) No un-documented persons should get ANY assistance.