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140 Inner City Chicago Stores Charged with Food Stamp Fraud
invite response
2016 Aug 24, 11:39am 2,737 views 12 comments
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zzyzzx
2016 Aug 24, 11:47am
And with the real median income among black households falling nationwide from $35,945 to $35,398–a 1.5 percent drop since 2014
For the sake of lowering the budgetary costs of this nonsense, why doesn't the government assume the role of the bodega owner. Rather than SNAP, lets offer a 50% monthly cash payout as an alternative. That way, we can cut our costs and eliminate the bodega owner from the equation.
casandra
2016 Aug 24, 2:21pm
This is common. My 600 lb grandson, who gets disability cash now approaching 1800 a month, free rent, and reduced utility bills and car insurance, says that the several hundred dollars he gets a month in food stamps is not necessary to buy food, so he does what he wants with it.
He has not worked since the age of 22 and is now 53 years old.
When he asks if you work or not, and if you reply yes, he says "God Bless You!"
RC2006
2016 Aug 24, 3:24pm
We need some sort of birth control to be in all food available to snap users.
Strategist
2016 Aug 24, 6:05pm
Chicago, Obama's residence town... why am I not surprised...
Chicago, the land of corrupt politicians.
Strategist
2016 Aug 24, 6:25pm
This is common. My 600 lb grandson, who gets disability cash now approaching 1800 a month, free rent, and reduced utility bills and car insurance, says that the several hundred dollars he gets a month in food stamps is not necessary to buy food, so he does what he wants with it.
He still has to eat. If he is selling his food stamps, what does he eat? At 600 lb, he needs even more food.
lostand confused
2016 Aug 24, 6:30pm
Just start soup kitchens and double bed dormitories in the abandoned factories.
turtledove
2016 Aug 24, 6:33pm
This is common. My 600 lb grandson, who gets disability cash now approaching 1800 a month, free rent, and reduced utility bills and car insurance, says that the several hundred dollars he gets a month in food stamps is not necessary to buy food, so he does what he wants with it.
He has not worked since the age of 22 and is now 53 years old.
When he asks if you work or not, and if you reply yes, he says "God Bless You!"
Well, at least he will never have to worry about a crazy ex-wife coming after him for the rest of his life.
Strategist
2016 Aug 24, 6:39pm
Well, at least he will never have to worry about a crazy ex-wife coming after him for the rest of his life.
You never know. I'm sure there is a pretty 500 lb lady somewhere for him, who is hungry for his food stamps.
RWSGFY
2016 Aug 24, 6:49pm
This is common. My 600 lb grandson, who gets disability cash now approaching 1800 a month, free rent, and reduced utility bills and car insurance, says that the several hundred dollars he gets a month in food stamps is not necessary to buy food, so he does what he wants with it.
He still has to eat. If he is selling his food stamps, what does he eat? At 600 lb, he needs even more food.
Pay attention: he gets $1800 cash per month. That's plenty to support even 600 lb.
zzyzzx
2016 Aug 24, 6:50pm
He still has to eat. If he is selling his food stamps, what does he eat? At 600 lb, he needs even more food.
I was also thinking that a 600lb person might be one of the few actually using up all their food stamps.
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2016/08/23/140-inner-city-chicago-stores-charged-with-food-stamp-fraud/
As the number of Americans on food stamps grows, so, too, do fraud and abuse. Food stamp “trafficking,†in particular, has grown so much that 140 stores in Chicago’s inner city have been cited for food stamp fraud, many of them shut down as a result.
With African Americans suffering badly during the Obama administration, the number of Americans on SNAP, or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, is at an all-time high, having increased by around 19 million Americans since Obama took office. According to the National Review, the number of black households on food stamps has risen 58.2 percent since 2008. And while the U.S. government has been cracking down on fraud and abuse, store owners are still tempted to illegally exchange cash for food stamps.
Typically, store owners will give SNAP holders fifty cents on the dollar in cash while redeeming the food stamps for the full amount with the government. While recipients may be losing a portion of their benefits by “trafficking†in food stamps, having the cash allows them to use the money for illegal purchases like drugs.
We see a lot of it. It’s a major problem. It’s our tax money that’s basically funding these criminal operations,†Assistant State’s Attorney David Williams told the Chicago Tribune.
But the money is also useful for legitimate expenses like rent, electric, and other bills for which SNAP cannot be used. And with the real median income among black households falling nationwide from $35,945 to $35,398–a 1.5 percent drop since 2014--the extra hard money is often welcome.
Along with the crackdown, some inner city stores are finding themselves caught in criminal operations. A new report in the Chicago Tribune reveals that the temptation has been too much for a large number of inner city stores to resist. More than 140 stores in Chicago and another 34 in the nearby suburbs have been sanctioned for food stamp trafficking. The sanctions usually include the store’s loss of the right to participate in the SNAP program, and since up to 80 percent of their business is done via SNAP benefits, the sanctions often result in the store’s closure.
Chicago’s Regional Organized Crime Task Force has been successful at strengthening penalties for stores and those who traffic in food stamps. State’s Attorney Williams noted that the problem is “fairly rampant†among corner stores in the city.
#obamasfault #crime