A New York retailer was recently indicted after the Ohio Investigative Unit linked the business and its owner to more than $640,000 in stolen SNAP benefits from Ohio recipients.
Agents allege that Hot Spot Convenience 2 and its chief operator, 52-year-old Raed Subhi Abu Mohammad, got a valid retailer’s federal Food and Nutrition Service permit number through deception.
Mohammed then utilised the fraudulent account, Hot Spot Convenience 2, to make illicit purchases on hacked Ohio EBT cards between March 1, 2024, and January 14, 2025.
Authorities believe that 2,823 distinct fraudulent transactions totalled more than $643,000 in stolen SNAP payments across Ohio.
A Cuyahoga County grand jury indicted him on charges including improper SNAP benefit use, telecommunications fraud, aggravated theft, and money laundering. Mohammad was detained on June 4 by the New York City Police Department.
SNAP benefits in Ohio are distributed via the Ohio Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) Card. The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, as well as various law enforcement agencies, have received several instances of stolen benefits, most of which are caused by “skimmers” that collect card information and PINs from point-of-sale terminals.
This stolen information is subsequently used in fraudulent transactions, which usually deplete the entire balance. Fraudulent vendors outside of Ohio eventually exploit almost all stolen EBT card information.
Agents determined that the alleged transactions were fake and contacted other SNAP beneficiaries who had never been to New York. The majority of transactions occurred between midnight and 4 a.m., with up to 12 consecutive transactions on the same stolen EBT card account depleting the entire balance.
Agents discovered that the unlawful proceeds were immediately liquidated via a series of big cash withdrawals and wire transactions.
Mohammad will be extradited to Ohio, where an arraignment date will be scheduled in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court.
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