Elias Estephane, SNAP Fraud, KY 2024

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Elias Estephane, former owner of The Meat Store and The Meat Store 2, was sentenced today to 33 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $545,000 in restitution for defrauding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Senior Judge Thomas B. Russell handed down the sentence in U.S. District Court, marking the end of a years-long investigation into a brazen scheme that exploited a lifeline meant for the hungry.

Estephane, convicted on November 9, 2017, after a four-day jury trial, ran specialty meat shops at 1066 South 28th Street and 4835 Poplar Level Road. Both stores were authorized SNAP retailers, allowing customers to use EBT cards to buy food. But instead of honoring the program’s mission, Estephane systematically traded cash for SNAP benefits—paying just fifty cents on the dollar—directly violating federal rules.

The red flags started in 2015 when USDA and FBI investigators noticed The Meat Store’s SNAP redemptions were nearly 20 times higher than comparable stores in the area. That spike triggered a joint probe that sent undercover agents into the store. Between September 1, 2015, and July 12, 2016, two operatives exchanged benefits for cash with Estephane on nine separate occasions—eight of them captured on video.

Surveillance footage was damning. Prosecutors matched store video with transaction logs, highlighting customers who spent $100 or more yet walked out with a single bag. Sometimes, undercover agents presented multiple EBT cards under different names and walked away with wads of cash. The evidence painted a clear picture: Estephane wasn’t running a grocery store—he was running a cash-for-benefits mill.

At trial, five customers and a former employee took the stand, detailing the routine exchanges. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amanda E. Gregory and Stephanie M. Zimdahl led the prosecution, backed by paralegal Mary Kennedy. The case was investigated by the USDA Office of Inspector General and the FBI, agencies that continue to crack down on fraud in federal nutrition programs.

“This is a crime against taxpayers,” said U.S. Attorney Russell M. Coleman. “We will seek to restore every stolen dime.” With no parole in the federal system, Estephane will serve nearly three full years behind bars—proof that stealing from the poor to line your own pockets carries a steep price.