An Iraqi immigrant who owned a halal market in Portland, Maine, pleaded guilty to using his store to commit millions of dollars in food stamp fraud.
Ali Ratib Daham, 40, of Westbrook, pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges of food stamp trafficking, conspiracy, money laundering, and theft of government funds in U.S. District Court in Portland, the Portland Press-Herald reported.
Daham, who became a naturalized U.S. citizen after emigrating from Iraq, conspired with others to defraud the U.S. government of $1.4 million from 2011 to 2016, prosecutors say.
Court documents show that the shop owner gave customers cash in exchange for their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Women, Infant, and Children (WIC) program benefits.
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