Grocery store owner stole $4.1 million from government in food stamp scam, feds say
The owner of a Minnesota grocery store has been sentenced to prison — and ordered to pay back millions in restitution — after federal officials said he traded government benefits for cash and ineligible items.
From 2018 through 2021, authorities say Hared Nur Jibril, of St. Cloud, defrauded the U.S. Department of Agriculture alongside some of his employees at Hormud Meat and Grocery Market.
He’s accused of allowing customers to trade Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program benefits for items like cash, phone minutes, food from an adjoining restaurant and hair treatment, according to court records. He would then submit the unlawful transactions to the USDA and get a refund for the full value of the benefits.
In one January 2020 example, records say Jibril accepted $212.72 in benefits for Vaseline, dish detergent, perfume, an air freshener, $30 in cash and more.
By participating in these illegal trades, Jibril schemed the SNAP and WIC programs out of over $4.1 million, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota. Authorities also say Jibril lied and said he was laid off from work during the COVID-19 pandemic to receive more than $32,000 in unemployment assistance.
The defense attorney representing Jibril did not immediately respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News on April 6.
In a letter to the court submitted by his defense attorney, Jibril is described as a man who created a store and restaurant “where the community came for assistance” beginning in 2009.
“Mr. Jibril did not live or maintain any semblance of a lavish lifestyle,” the document says. “He never aimed to bilk the federal government of money to enrich his own wallet. He instead used these monies to lift others up and provide opportunities they otherwise would not have.
“When regular patrons came to the store and could not afford items, Mr. Jibril would give them merchandise and allow them to pay him back over time,” it continues. “He hired people local to the community to work for him. The funds generated from his businesses were put back into payroll and used to help community organizations like kids’ youth programs.”
The attorney says Jibril “regrets breaking the law and stands before the Court at sentencing prepared to accept a fair and just punishment. What Mr. Jibril does not regret however, is the positive impact and change his actions brought to countless individuals and his community.”
He also mentioned Jibril is a “deportable alien,” meaning that with a felony conviction, he could later be deported to Somalia “where violent crime is widespread.”
Jibril’s sentencing comes after he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of wire fraud. Court records show he has been ordered to 30 months in prison, three years of supervised release and $4,187,999.72 in restitution.
St. Cloud is about 65 miles northwest of Minneapolis.
This story was originally published April 6, 2022 at 6:38 PM with the headline "Grocery store owner stole $4.1 million from government in food stamp scam, feds say."