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Baltimore SNAP Fraud: Shafiq Gets 46 Months
Baltimore, MD – The dirty underbelly of Baltimore’s retail scene coughed up two more guilty parties this week, as Mohammad Shafiq, 51, and Mohammad Irfan, 59, received federal prison sentences for a brazen scheme to defraud the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps. The pair, along with a network of co-conspirators, siphoned off over $16 million from a program designed to feed the needy, lining their own pockets with taxpayer dollars.
U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett handed down a 46-month sentence to Shafiq, followed by three years of supervised release. He also ordered Shafiq to pay restitution totaling a staggering $3,712,353.00. Just last week, on May 18, 2017, Judge Bennett sentenced Irfan to a heftier 51 months behind bars, also with three years of supervised release and a $3,550,662.00 restitution order. The sentences are the latest fallout from a 2016 federal grand jury indictment that charged 14 retail store operators with food stamp fraud and wire fraud.
Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Stephen M. Schenning, alongside Special Agent in Charge William G. Squires, Jr. of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General, and Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, announced the sentences, signaling a continued crackdown on SNAP fraud in the region. The investigation revealed a systematic effort to exchange SNAP benefits for cash – a clear violation of program rules.
The scam, as detailed in court documents, operated with chilling simplicity. From October 2010 through at least July 2016, Shafiq, Irfan, and their associates routinely exchanged EBT benefits for roughly half their face value in cash. To evade detection, the transactions were often broken up into smaller amounts over time, or processed manually at a different store location. Both defendants owned and/or operated stores authorized to accept SNAP, meaning they were fully aware of the regulations they were flagrantly ignoring.
Shafiq’s operation spanned four Baltimore-area stores: Quick Stop Convenience Store (237 N. Patterson Park Avenue), New York Food Mart (1201 N. Patterson Park Avenue), Barclay Food Mart (2454 Barclay Street), and Shafiq Corporation (6929 Holabird Avenue, Dundalk, Maryland). He and his family members allegedly pocketed over $3.7 million for phantom food sales. Irfan engaged in a similar scheme. While the schemes were separate, the method – and the greed – were remarkably consistent.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, a lifeline for millions of low-income Americans, relies on the integrity of retailers to function. These sentences should serve as a stark warning: defrauding SNAP is not a victimless crime, and those who exploit the system for personal gain will face the full weight of federal prosecution. Twelve of the original fourteen defendants have now pleaded guilty, suggesting more shoes are yet to drop in this ongoing investigation.
Key Facts
- State: Maryland
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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