
Out of the goodness of my heart, I felt the need to help him. He made me feel guilty and showed me how his local Miami store would do so. On the day he said I trafficked, he told me he needed the money to pay his phone bill and help his kids since he had no money. He would continuously tell me about his financial struggles he had since he arrived in our city. As he would enter the store, he would try to engage in conversation to build a relationship with me like I have with a majority of the customers that shop at our store. "The investigator came into the store multiple times before the 13th. The store owner was not present for any of the transactions, so he assumed that the investigator's statements were 100% correct, but when we interviewed the store clerk about the transactions, we noticed something was left out. Many undercover investigators leave out key details in the transaction that change how everything looks. The allegations looked bad on paper, but that's not uncommon in SNAP cases. Our firm was retained on day seven after the retailer had received the Charge Letter. and told me to only deal with him if I was to return and I said, 'ok.'" - Undercover Investigator The clerk then retrieved $100 (5 -$20) from the cash register and handed it to me. The clerk told me to swipe my card in the EBT machine. The clerk asked if I was willing to sell my EBT card for cash and I agreed. I told the clerk that I needed cash from my food stamps off my EBT card. "I entered the subject store and spoke with the clerk from my previous visit. He flipped another few pages and found the second transaction description: He worried that the undercover investigator's statements were so clear and direct, the store's clerk must have been guilty. The first transaction description looked back to the store owner. I asked the clerk if I could return tomorrow for more cash off my EBT benefits and the clerk said 'ok.'" - Undercover Investigator The clerk asked me how much I wanted, and I said 'as much as you can give me.' The clerk then swiped the EBT card for the second time and retrieved $100 (5 - $20) from the register and handed it to me. I asked the clerk for cash back off my EBT card, and the clerk agreed. The clerk made no mention of the non-food items being purchased using SNAP benefits and completed the transaction. "I entered the subject store, placed all items on the counter, and presented the EBT card to the clerk for purchase. The investigator described the third transaction: On his third and fourth visits though, the investigator claimed that the clerk had given him cash in exchange for EBT benefits. He stated that a particular store clerk had sold him ineligible items (plastic plates and forks) a number of times. In each of the affidavits, the investigator outlined what allegedly occurred in the visits to the store. As provided by Section 278.6(e)(1) of the SNAP regulations, the sanction for the trafficking violation(s) noted in the Exhibits is permanent disqualification." USDA Trafficking Charge LetterĪs the store owner turned the pages of the letter, he found a set of affidavits from an undercover investigator. "Your Firm is charged with trafficking, as defined in Section 271.2 of the SNAP regulations. In it, the USDA claimed that the store had been charged with trafficking.

In April of 2021, the small Ruskin grocery store received a letter from the USDA's Food and Nutrition Service (FNS). Detroit, Michigan Trafficking Dismissed.Merced, California Trafficking Dismissed.Montgomery, Alabama Trafficking Dismissed.
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SNAP Trafficking: What You Need to Know.

