Four South Florida store owners and operators are facing federal criminal charges after allegedly running a massive, years-long scheme to defraud the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) out of more than $19 million by trading food benefits for cash, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Miami announced Thursday.
A federal grand jury in the Southern District of Florida returned an indictment charging the men for their roles in trafficking taxpayer-funded benefits across Miami-Dade and Broward counties from July 2019 through May 2026, prosecutors said in a statement.
According to federal court records, the defendants operated through three neighborhood retail locations:
- Brown Sugar, owned by Rajaie Ahmad Ali, 63, of Miramar.
- Kwik Stop, owned by Sami Jamhour, 43, of Hollywood.
- Quickie Mini Market, owned by Cristian Giovanni Amaro, 27, of Miami.
Adel Amro, 23, of Fort Myers, allegedly served as a recruiter, seeking out SNAP recipients willing to exchange their benefits for cash, prosecutors said.
How the alleged SNAP benefits for cash worked
Federal prosecutors allege that Ali and Amaro provided the electronic point-of-sale terminals assigned to their respective stores for use inside Jamhour's store, Kwik Stop, violating program rules that strictly prohibit sharing terminals.
Instead of purchasing groceries, SNAP recipients would hand over their electronic benefit transfer, or EBT, cards to be charged for inflated transaction amounts. Store operators would then pay the recipients about half the swiped amount in cash, pocketing the rest as illicit profit.
“Food stamps exist to help families put food on the table, not to make criminals rich,” said Miami U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones in a statement. “Public benefits fraud steals twice: first from taxpayers who fund these programs, and again from the families who rely on them.”
Inspector General John Walk of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General, called the prolonged scheme "outrageous."
“Criminals who conspire to steal food assistance dollars from needy Americans to enrich themselves are disgraceful and will be held to account," he said.
FBI Miami Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles said the defendants carried out their scheme for almost seven years, "stealing millions of dollars from Americans with no remorse to the harm they inflicted upon South Florida communities."
"This investigation should be a clear message to anyone who targets government programs for ill-gotten gains — the FBI and our local, state, and federal partners will always investigate and bring to justice those who undermine our government and exploit American citizens in need," he added.
The defendants face a number of charges, including conspiracy to commit SNAP trafficking and money laundering. If convicted, the defendants face from 30 years to 65 years in federal prison.
One man charged, Ali, is subject to deportation. Prosecutors did not indicate what foreign country he is from.
The joint investigation was conducted by FBI Miami and the USDA-OIG Southeast Region, with assistance from the City of Miami Police Department and the West Palm Beach Sheriff’s Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosenfeld is prosecuting the case.
