A Chicago man was sentenced on March 9 to more than four years in federal prison for fraudulently obtaining over $1.5 million in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.
SNAP is a federal program run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture that helps eligible individuals supplement their food budgets. Retail stores approved for the program can accept SNAP benefits through Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards, also known as Link cards, but it is illegal to exchange these cards for cash or other items.
According to court records, David Quinones gave cash or other items to SNAP recipients from 2018 to 2023 in exchange for access to their Link cards. Quinones then used the cards at authorized retail stores, pretending to be the authorized user, and purchased various goods which he later resold for profit. In total, he used more than 1,200 cards and caused approximately $1,554,804 in fraudulent SNAP payments.
Quinones pleaded guilty last year to a federal wire fraud charge. U.S. District Judge Steven C. Seeger sentenced him to four years and four months in prison and ordered him to pay $1,554,804 in restitution.
The sentence was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Shantel R. Robinson, Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General; and Larry Snelling, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Kelly represented the government.
