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Fish Store Manager Embezzled Food Stamps
Nichole Bires, 36, the manager at H&H Fish Market in McKeesport, has pleaded guilty to one count of theft of government property.
The court was advised that Bires exchanged customers’ food stamp benefits for cash on a discounted basis, usually giving the customers only 50 cents on the dollar for food stamp benefits.
In connection with the guilty plea, the court was informed that H&H began participating in the USDA’s food stamp program in October 2009. As a condition of participation, the owners and employees of H&H were required to comply with all rules and regulations of the program.
Bires’ actions, which occurred on multiple occasions, are a clear violation of program rules that prohibit the exchange of food stamp benefits for cash and/or ineligible items.
Judge Cathy Bissoon scheduled sentencing for August 26, 2014, at 10 a.m. The law provides for a total sentence of 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both.
The Office of the Inspector General for the United States Department of Agriculture, the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation that led to Bires’ prosecution.
Assistant United States Attorney Tonya Sulia Goodman is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
Key Facts
- State: Pennsylvania
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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