Wisconsin Woman and Son Accused of Stealing $3 Million in Food Stamps

A Wisconsin woman and her son are accused of stealing $3 million in food stamps benefits from the federal government, according to court records.

Both Elham M. “Brenda” Abdul Rahim and Ahmad Zaki Abdul Rahim were indicted on a count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported, which carries a sentence of as many as 20 years in prison.

Elham Rahim was also indicted on counts of fraud and unauthorized use of food stamps, while Ahmad Rahim was indicted on a count of lying to investigators from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Ahmad Rahim told The Journal Sentinel that he did not commit fraud and did not know that he and his mother were indicted. He said his father, who is now dead, used to run the store they owned and that he did not know how his father ran the establishment.

“The Rahims used the store to exchange Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program cards for cash,” the indictment said.

The indictment also charged that they would swipe a SNAP debit card for a certain amount, give half the amount to the recipients, and keep the rest.

The store reportedly received $3 million more, through the scheme, than it was supposed to receive.

Ahmad Rahim was also charged with lying, as he allegedly told Department of Agriculture investigators that he was “100% certain” that no fraud had occurred. The indictment stated that this claim was false because he personally committed the fraud.

A court date has not yet been set.

Food stamps fraud cases have been peppering the news in September. For example, an Ohio millionaire’s home was raided for allegedly collecting food stamps while he had millions in the bank, and a New York deli owner was arraigned on charges of food stamps fraud and burglary.