A Minneapolis grocery store owner is facing a criminal charge after investigators claim he trafficked over $1.1 million in SNAP benefits using other people’s EBT cards.
SNAP benefits trafficking investigation leads to felony charge
According to criminal charges filed in Hennepin County Court, Abdidwahid Mohamed, the owner of Minnesota Food Grocery LLC, is accused of using other people’s EBT cards to buy energy drinks and baby formula at Sam’s Club and Costco between March 8, 2021, and August 10, 2021. The things were then resold at his store.
According to the complaint, law enforcement monitored Mohamed’s purchases and tracked him back to his store with the items. Video surveillance and GPS data confirmed the excursions, and authorities say many of the EBT cardholders were either out of the country or refused to shop at the places Mohamed visited.
The complaint says that “Mohamed received $1,141,082 in EBT payments” over the relevant time. The government Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is intended to assist low-income households in purchasing food. Benefits are issued using EBT cards, which function similarly to debit cards.
Wal-Mart team sparks investigation
The inquiry began after Wal-Mart’s global inquiry team detected unusual EBT transactions at Sam’s Club locations in Minneapolis. In May 2021, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) was notified, and Mohamed was placed under surveillance.
The complaint alleges that on August 10, 2021, law enforcement conducted search warrants at Mohamed’s store and car. He was caught at a Sam’s Club in Bloomington while carrying an EBT card and a handwritten note with a PIN number. During interviews with more than two dozen EBT cardholders, several said their cards had been stolen or never used at the stores in issue.
One woman revealed she hadn’t shopped at Minnesota Food Groceries in over a year and a half after consenting to let Mohamed use her EBT card.
According to the complaint, the offense “involved a high degree of sophistication or planning or occurred over a lengthy period of time.”
If convicted, Mohamed could face up to 20 years in prison and a $100,000 fine.
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