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State News
Fugitive Arrested In Largest Food Stamp Trafficking Scheme In U. S. History
A Palm Beach County man was arrested Tuesday for his role in the largest food stamp trafficking scheme in U.S. history, the U.S. Depart- ment of Justice reported.
Michelson Janvier,
24, of Lake Worth, was ar- rested Tuesday in Miami by the U. S. Marshals Service Florida Regional Fugitive Task Force on seven out- standing felony warrants. Janvier is in the Palm Beach County Jail.
“Food stamp trafficking is a serious crime tantamount to stealing from the hard- working taxpayers in our state,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said.
According to a news re- lease by the Department of Justice, the PBSO began an investigation into an individ- ual responsible for stealing the identity of over 500 vic- tims in Palm Beach County.
The person used the in- formation to obtain fraudu- lent food stamp benefits in the form of EBT cards, and the fraudulently obtained EBT cards were taken to the
MICHELSON JANVIER
million, officials said. A total of 22 people who owned and operated "shell stores" were charged federally with re- ceiving over $13 million from the USDA by fraudulently trading food stamps for cash.
Six more people were charged by statewide prose- cutors, officials said.
Investigators said a cus- tomer would swipe an EBT card after buying food items for an inflated amount. Af- terward, he or she paid the beneficiary a portion of the sale rather than the full amount on the receipt.
The government, in turn, reimbursed the store owner the full price listed on the re- ceipt, even though the cus- tomer paid less. In many cases no food was purchased with an EBT card, officials said.
SNAP is a federally funded national program that helps alleviate hunger among low-income families. It is administered by the Florida Department of Chil- dren and Families. A person who is eligible to receive
SNAP benefits uses an EBT card to buy food under the program. The EBT card can be used only to purchase food and food-related items and cannot be used to with- draw money, similar to an ATM card.
The government, in turn, reimburses the store owner for the amount of eligible food that the person bought.
The scheme was carried out throughout Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties, of- ficials said.
The joint operation known as Operation Stam- pede/Cash Hungry resulted in the largest combined fi- nancial fraud loss for a food stamp trafficking takedown in history, authorities said.
If convicted, Janvier, along with the other defen- dants, faces a possible maxi- mum statutory sentence of 20 years in prison for con- spiracy to commit wire fraud.
He also faces 20 years in prison for wire fraud and five years in prison for food stamp or EBT fraud, officials said.
Opa Locka Flea Market, where SNAP benefits in the form of food stamps or EBT cards were exchanged for cash, authorities said.
Janvier’s warrants in- cluded two counts of public assistance fraud over $200 but less than $20,000 and two counts of public assis- tance fraud over $20,000 but under $100,000. Jan- vier also had warrants for public assistance fraud over $100,000, fraudulent use of
personal identification card of a deceased individ- ual, fraudulent use of per- sonal identification and organized scheme to de- fraud. Janvier also had a warrant for grand theft.
The news release did not clarify whether Janvier acted alone in obtaining the identities of over 500 Palm Beach County residents.
The food stamp fraud scheme cost the U. S. Depart- ment of Agriculture over $13
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