Last Updated: Tuesday, 04 May 2021 13:17
May 4, 2021 - NEWARK N.J. – A Passaic County, New Jersey, couple were sentenced to prison today for engaging in a food stamps fraud scheme, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig
announced.
Ibrahim Zughbi, 67, of Wayne, New Jersey, was sentenced to 41 months in prison and his wife, Miriam Zughbi, 63, also of Wayne, was sentenced to 24 months in prison. Ibrahim Zughbi previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Peter G. Sheridan to an information charging him with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefit fraud and money laundering. Miriam Zughbi previously pleaded guilty to an information charging her with conspiracy to defraud the United States through SNAP benefit fraud. U.S. District Judge Anne E. Thompson imposed the sentences today in Trenton federal court.
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A Wayne couple was sentenced to federal prison Tuesday for buying $4.5 million worth of food stamps from customers at a grocery store they managed in Paterson.
Ibrahim Zughbi, 67, got 3½ years in a federal penitentiary while his wife, Miriam Zughbi, 63, also of Wayne, was sentenced to two years, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said.
Ibrahim Zughbi previously participated in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) when he was the owner of Neighborhood Supermarket, a medium-sized grocery store, Honig said.
Administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, SNAP benefits – formerly known as food stamps – cannot be sold under federal law, she said.