United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Jenny Espinal Tejada, a Philadelphia resident, has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for defrauding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The sentencing was handed down by United States District Court Judge Joshua D. Wolson. In addition to the prison term, Espinal Tejada is required to pay $1,841,402 in restitution and forfeit the proceeds from her offenses.
Espinal Tejada was charged last July and pleaded guilty in October to one count of wire fraud and one count of defrauding SNAP. She admitted to using her grocery store in Philadelphia to illegally redeem SNAP benefits despite not being an approved merchant. She gained access by misappropriating merchant identification numbers assigned to legitimate participating stores. Furthermore, she traded benefits for cash at her store.
"Espinal Tejada sought to profit illicitly from the SNAP program, diverting nearly $2 million of the USDA’s money," stated U.S. Attorney Romero. "On behalf of the folks who rely on these resources every day — and the taxpayers who fund the programs — we and our partners will continue to prosecute abuses like this and ensure that those who commit them are held appropriately accountable."
Charmeka Parker, Special Agent in Charge with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of Inspector General (USDA-OIG), emphasized the importance of protecting SNAP's integrity: "SNAP was created to provide food and nutrition to those who truly need this assistance... We are thankful to our law enforcement and prosecutorial partners and will continue to dedicate investigative resources in order to protect the integrity of these programs and bring those who commit fraud to justice."
The investigation was conducted by several agencies including the USDA Office of Inspector General, Homeland Security Investigations, and the FBI. Assistant United States Attorney Elizabeth Abrams prosecuted the case.