Xie Nan fraudulently committed thousands of transactions and stole nearly 30 million EBT cards

The US Justice Department announced on the 21stchicago Two men suspected of exploiting theft in Ohioohio Electronic food vouchers are accepted through Welfare Transfer Card (EBT) account informationration card The store made thousands of false transactions and defrauded approximately $29.7 million in federal food subsidies, making it the largest case in the Justice Department’s recent nationwide crackdown on food stamp fraud.

According to the indictment issued by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Oklahoma, defendants Zorag Yassin and Rami Kanaan operated several retail stores in Chicago that were approved to participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, commonly known as food stamps).

Prosecutors allege that from February 2024 to April 2025, the two used EBT account information stolen from Ohio and other states to make thousands of transactions, but no customers actually made purchases and no actual sales of merchandise occurred.

Because the stores involved were legally qualified to accept SNAP payments, these false transactions appeared to be normal purchases in the system, and the payments came from the accounts of genuine food stamp recipients.

The indictment lists three interstate electronic transactions totaling 1,243.46 yuan on March 4, 2024. Prosecutors estimated the losses during the entire crime period to be up to 29.7 million yuan, an average of about 2 million yuan per month.

Both defendants are charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering. Prosecutors also alleged that a portion of the illegal proceeds were used to buy cars for use abroad or to send them abroad.

The Justice Department reported that from September 1 to October 21, the loss of SNAP fraud detected in relevant law enforcement actions across the country was close to 42 million yuan, of which the Chicago case accounted for nearly 70%, which far exceeded the scale of other cases.

In comparison, another case in Atlanta, Georgia involved a fraudulent claim of approximately 4.4 million yuan, and a store owner in Lansing, Michigan involved a case of approximately 1.09 million yuan.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the Trump administration will crack down on food stamp fraud. Agriculture Department Inspector General John Wolk also pointed out that SNAP fraud directly affects low-income people who depend on subsidies to survive.

Homeland Security Investigations officials said criminal networks may use skimming devices, stolen identity data and rogue retailers to commit fraud.

The Justice Department has not yet disclosed how Ohio EBT account information was stolen, how many victim families were involved, and whether the stolen benefits have been reissued. It has also not announced whether the two defendants have been arrested or have appeared in court to answer their pleas. At this stage, the contents of the indictment are still the prosecution’s allegation, and both defendants are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Officials recommend that SNAP beneficiaries in Ohio and other states who notice unusual decreases in account balances or unknown consumption records should immediately contact the SNAP management agency in their state to inquire about the transactions and report suspected fraud.