A Lakewood grocer was sentenced Tuesday to four years and two months in prison for running a scheme in which customers could buy virtually anything with food stamps or get cash.
Anes Saleh, owner of Lakewood Abarrotes Carniceria, also must serve three years on supervised release after serving his prison term.
U.S. District Judge Christine M. Arguello ordered Saleh to pay $876,686 restitution.
“Prosecutions such as this are critical to protect taxpayers’ money and preserve the integrity of the food stamp program,” said Jeff Dorschner, spokesman for U.S. Attorney John Walsh.
Saleh allowed customers to buy ineligible, non-edible products through the federal food stamp program, according to prosecutor Patricia Davues.
In Colorado, the program is funded through J.P. Morgan Chase Bank.
Food stamp recipients use Electronic Benefit Transfer cards to make purchases at grocery stores. Grocers then are credited through the bank, which is reimbursed by the state of Colorado and ultimately through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutritional Service.
Between October 2010 and September 2013, Saleh allowed people to use EBT cards to buy non-food products and get cash at his store, according to court records.
The business ordinarily sold $120,000 of eligible products in a year. But because Saleh allowed customers to buy ineligible items, he traded that amount in food stamps in a single month, according to court records.
Saleh and his employees would sell the ineligible items at a higher rate than the cash value, according to records.
Several local and federal agencies were involved in the investigation, including the USDA-Office of Inspector General, the FBI, the Lakewood Police Department and the Jefferson County Department of Health and Human Services, Dorschner said.
Kirk Mitchell: 303-954-1206, or
