Source: United States Department of Justice News
FLINT – A Flint convenience store operator pleaded guilty this week to engaging in more than $1.1 million in fraudulent transactions involving food and nutrition benefit programs, United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison announced today.
Ison was joined in the announcement by Shantel R. Robinson, Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General, Midwest Region.
Ranjit (“Nancy”) Ghotra, age 33, formerly of Swartz Creek, Michigan, pleaded guilty to wire fraud before United States District Judge F. Kay Behm. Ghotra assisted in the operation of Cheers Market, a convenience store in Flint, Michigan.
According to the information provided to the Court at the guilty plea hearing, Ghotra engaged in a fraud scheme involving the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program. These programs are funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and provide benefits to raise the level of nutrition of low-income households and children.
As part of the scheme, Ghotra permitted beneficiaries of the SNAP and WIC programs to use their benefits to buy ineligible items, such as alcohol and tobacco, or allowed them to obtain cash instead of food products, in violation of program regulations. In each case, Ghotra charged program beneficiaries approximately double the amount in benefits as the price of the ineligible items purchased or the cash provided. Between 2017 and 2020, Ghotra carried out more than $1.1 million in fraudulent SNAP and WIC transactions.
While the federal prosecution was pending, Ghotra purchased an international plane ticket and attempted to leave the country in violation of her bond conditions. She was arrested at the gate at Chicago O’Hare International Airport with the assistance of Homeland Security Investigations and Customs and Border Patrol agents, and returned to Michigan.
Ghotra faces a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for wire fraud. Judge Behm will ultimately determine the appropriate sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
“Ranjit Ghotra spent years defrauding benefits programs that were intended to assist low-income households, and especially children,” U.S. Attorney Ison said. “This guilty plea reflects my office’s commitment to protecting the integrity of federal programs that help ensure that everyone can afford to provide their families with healthy, nutritious food.”
“This investigation and prosecution should serve as warning to all stores participating in the WIC and SNAP programs as vendors that fraud and trafficking—the purchase of WIC and SNAP benefits for cash—will be vigorously investigated and prosecuted by the USDA-OIG, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and its stakeholders. The USDA-OIG thanks the U.S. Attorney’s Office, who prosecuted this case, Homeland Security Investigations, and Genesee County Sheriff’s office for their assistance with the investigation,” said Shantel R. Robinson, Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General, Midwest Region.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations and the Genesee County Sheriff’s office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ann Nee and Adriana Dydell.