A Chicago man has confessed in federal court to illegally obtaining over $1.5 million in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. David Quinones, 44, pleaded guilty to a federal wire fraud charge on Tuesday, a crime that could result in up to 20 years of imprisonment. U.S. District Judge Steven C. Seeger has scheduled the sentencing for June 18, 2025.
The SNAP program is managed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture along with state governments and aims to assist individuals and families by supplementing their food budgets with nutritional benefits. Authorized retail stores can accept SNAP benefits through Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards, known as Link cards, for eligible food items. The exchange of Link cards for cash or other goods is illegal.
Quinones admitted that between 2018 and 2023, he provided cash or other items to SNAP recipients in return for their Link cards and identification numbers. He used these cards to buy various products at authorized stores while pretending to be the legitimate user of the cards. Quinones then resold most of these products and kept the proceeds for himself. His fraudulent activities involved over 1,200 cards and resulted in approximately $1,554,804 being paid out by the USDA in SNAP benefits.
The announcement of Quinones's guilty plea was made by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Shantel R. Robinson, Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Office of Inspector General for the Midwest Region; and Larry Snelling, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Kelly.