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Food Stamp Fraudster Sentenced to 12 Months in Prison
A Dayton man has been sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison for his role in a conspiracy to use a local grocery store to launder money and defraud the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Omar Yahya, 56, formerly known as Darnell Bernard Watts, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy and one count of conspiracy to launder money.
Yahya and three co-defendants, Al-Idu al-Gaheem, 62, formerly known as Lawrence Phillips, Abdul R. Qadir, 64, formerly known as Frank Appleberry, Jr., and Abdul H. Yamini Sr, 71, formerly known as Larry Shipp, were also sentenced to repay $3.8 million, which represents a portion of the money involved in the scheme. The group was accused of trafficking in electronic benefit cards to defraud the USDA’s SNAP program between 2009 and 2011.
The investigation, led by the Ohio Organized Crime Investigation Commission Task Force, found that the group caused more than $3.8 million in criminal proceeds in the form of USDA SNAP wire transfers to be deposited into various bank accounts and more than $1.2 million in criminal proceeds in the form of currency withdrawals to be made from the store’s accounts.
U.S. District Judge Timothy S. Black handed down the sentence, which also includes three years of supervised release for Yahya. The other three defendants were also sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison by Judge Black on charges of conspiracy and conspiracy to launder money.
The investigation was a multi-agency effort involving the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio, the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of Inspector General, the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation division, and the Ohio Investigative Unit.
U.S. Attorney Carter M. Stewart commended the cooperative investigation by the task force members and recognized Assistant U.S. Attorney Dwight Keller, who represented the United States in this case. Yahya is set to begin serving his sentence immediately.
The case is a significant victory for law enforcement in their fight against food stamp fraud and money laundering. The Ohio Organized Crime Investigation Commission Task Force will continue to work tirelessly to protect Ohioans from these types of crimes.
RELATED: Bettendorf Woman Gets 6 Years for Healthcare & Benefits Scam
RELATED: Baltimore SNAP Fraudster Gets 18 Months
Key Facts
- State: Ohio
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes|Organized Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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