ALBANY – Two Columbia County men were
sentenced Monday in Albany federal court for conspiring to commit Supplemental
Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) fraud, and SNAP fraud.
Faisal Morshed, 35, of Verplank, was sentenced to 18 months in prison,
three years of parole and ordered to pay $247,736 in restitution to the
USDA.
Ibrahim Murshed, 25, of Hudson, was sentenced to five years of probation
and ordered to pay $26,134 in restitution to the USDA.
As part of their guilty pleas last December, both men admitted that while
working at D&D Deli and Grocery in Hudson, they conspired to exchange
SNAP beneficiaries’ food stamps for cash.
SNAP, formerly known as food stamps, use tax dollars to subsidize food
purchases by eligible low-income households. SNAP benefits may only be
used to purchase food in approved food stores and may not be exchanged
for cash.
A jury convicted coconspirators Mofaddal Murshed and Ahmed Algahaim of
conspiracy to commit fraud and SNAP fraud in December. They are scheduled
to be sentenced in June.
