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Food Stamp Fraud RETAILER TRAFFICKING
There are necessities in life that are required, such as food and water, that are sometimes hard to get for some people. They will then often do anything possible in order to get these necessities. One of the ways that people get the items that they need for the home when they don’t have money from other forms of income is to sell their SNAP benefits. SNAP is a nutrition program that is accepted in just about every state. It’s a way for families to purchase the foods that are needed for the family when they don’t make enough money from working or if they are unable to work. There is an application process to go through and reviews that are completed while the family has the SNAP benefits.
Households have bills that they have to pay each month. Those who have food stamps often find that it’s difficult to pay those bills because of the lack of money, which is why they receive food stamp benefits in the first place. Because of the lack of jobs and the lack of higher paying jobs, making it difficult to simply survive each day, some people resort to activities that are considered a crime where SNAP benefits are concerned.
In 1996, TANF was developed in the country under Bill Clinton. It was devised as a temporary solution to help people financially so that they could get back on their feet. The food stamp program was also seeing more users because of the recession at the time. The USDA is in control of the SNAP program. It has added convenience stores and other types of retail stores to the list of grocery stores that are eligible to accept food stamps. This can make it a bit easier for recipients to exchange their benefits for toiletries and cash if the retailer is willing to take part and assist the consumer.
Any kind of food stamp trafficking is considered fraud. When retailers are involved and commit fraud, it’s sometimes the worst kind of fraudulent activity that can be committed and can have devastating impacts for the business as well as the consumer. The retailer could be put out of business, and the consumer could be denied from being eligible to receive SNAP benefits for an indefinite period of time. If the business is not closed, then the retailer could lose its ability to accept SNAP benefits and face high fines.
There are regulations in place that tend to curb the activity between retailers and consumers so that they don’t exchange food stamp benefits for cash, but the USDA and other government agencies can’t find everyone who is committing these acts unless there are tips given by other consumers or businesses that know that the activity is taking place. If any information is received about trafficking, then the retail store involved is looked at frequently compared to stores that aren’t under investigation. The store is subject to random audits and would need to submit more paperwork to the USDA or a government office in order to show that there is no fraud taking place. Sometimes, the retailer will go before a jury to hear the decision that is made of whether the business can continue to accept food stamps in the future or not. At other times, the retailer has to abide by the decision made by the USDA. An attorney can often assist the retailer with an appeal, but it’s important to find an attorney who can use a defensive strategy to show that no fraudulent acts occurred to begin with or that any issues have been corrected.
Food Stamp Fraud RETAILER TRAFFICKING
One of the basic necessities that all people need access to on a daily basis is food. Unfortunately, due to a variety of different circumstances, many people are not able to meet ends meet and cannot afford to provide themselves or their family with food. To help individuals who are struggling, there is a national and state food stamp program in place that helps nearly 25 million people on an annual basis.
In the majority of situations, the food stamp program is used to help provide people with food that they need to drive. Unfortunately, there are situations in which fraud does exist. To many law enforcement agencies, the most egregious form of fraud occurs when a retailer takes food stamps and uses them as an illegal form of currency. In these situations, the retailer will buy the food stamps from a customer at a discount to the food stamp value and then exchange them at a higher value to turn a profit.
Penalties
Those that are being investigated for food stamp trafficking could be facing some very severe and significant penalties. The organizations could receive investigation and scrutiny from a variety of agencies including the USDA, FBI, and state police departments. Depending on the scope of the fraud and whether the funds that were received were used for further illegal purposes, a retailer could end up facing prison time, significant penalties, loss of license to operate their store, and the loss of privilege to accept the food stamps.
Defense
If you are being investigated for food stamp fraud, there are a number of defense strategies that can be considered. One of the main strategies is to claim that you did not complete the fraud as suspected. If the situation was isolated, it can be challenging to prove that the fraud existed. Since most of these transactions took place with cash, the evidence for an isolated incident will likely be limited to the testimony of your customer.
Another strategy that can be used to defend against food stamp fraud is to state that your rights were violated during the investigation. If you are being investigated for food stamp fraud, the investigating agencies are required to obtain warrants and other approvals in order to gather evidence. If there did not follow the proper procedures, the law enforcement agencies could end up losing the right to gather the evidence.
Legal Support
Since retail food stamp fraud is a very serious crime that can come with big penalties, hiring legal defense support is a necessity. Those that choose to hire an attorney that specializes in these types of case will be able to develop a good defense strategy and have better luck negotiating with prosecutors. This could help anyone improve their chances of having the charges dropped or having the ultimate penalty reduced to a more reasonable level. The lawyer will also be able to provide guidance that can be followed to stay in compliance with the law further in the coming years.