Posted Wednesday, July 24th 2013 @ 5pm by News Radio 810 and 103.1 WGY

A 500 thousand dollar food stamp bust by the Schenectady PD working with the USDA and other agencies.

The 3 year scam a father and son are accused of running out of the Cheese Bakery and Grocery on State Street  involved food stamp trafficking by using EBT cards to purchase food stamp benefits at a rate less than their full value, usually 50 to 70 percent.  The father and son, Vishnunarine and Elvin Singh, are facing felony charges; 20 food stamp recipients are facing misdemeanor and petit larceny charges.

The news release from the Schenectady Police Department contained the following statements:

Schenectady Police Chief Brian Kilcullen:

“Today's arrests are the results of a collaborative investigation with all our partner agencies.  Those arrested today are accused of abusing a system put in place to help those who qualify purchase food.  Had the program been utilized as intended, those arrested would have been able to obtain adequate and nutritious diets.  Instead, cash was obtained and potentially used for purposes entirely contrary to the purpose of the program.  The cost of the abuse is staggering.

This investigation was initiated to stop the abuse and hold accountable those responsible for it.  Our hope is that the efforts of all those involved in this investigation will discourage others from engaging in similar conduct.”

Schenectady County District Attorney Robert M. Carney stated:

“The volume of fraudulent sale of food stamps attributable to this one location is staggering and we hope to make an example of them in order to discourage others from abusing a very worthwhile program to assist those in need.  Assistant District Attorney Katie McCutcheon who assisted the investigation and will be handling the prosecutions has my thanks for her role in this significant operation.”

Schenectady Police say the investigation took 6 months and involved the assistance of:

Schenectady County Probation
Schenectady County Child Protective Services
NYS Parole
NYS Department of Tax and Finance
NYS Department of Financial Services
NYS Office of Temporary Disabilities and Assistance.


Read more: http://www.wgy.com/articles/al.....70f59f#ixzz2a3RRgd4u

been going on in more places too......any of those small grocery stores owned by so called citizens.....every one should be checked out......most are guilty.....then you see them at  local "bulk: stores and maybe they

are not legitimate sales either....buy big...sell for more..the whole system needs to be revamped ....honest needy people will be punished ...

poor people give them nore sfood stamps so they can buy crap

this will solve NOTHING!!

many food stamp recipients buy groceries with food stamps and sells them for CASH............EVERYDAY!!!

some do it for 'drugs'....but there are some who need the $$$ to buy school supplies, needed clothes, beds, money for taxies etc.... that food stamps just don't pay for.

living withing this crappy system IS CRAPPY.......working and living within your means is a much better system....that is for those who can work....IF THERE WERE JOBS!

If you bring in large numbers of people from cultures where that is the way to get ahead, figuring out how to get in on the corruption and get a piece for yourself, and locate them in an area without too many jobs with a chance for moving up, this is the predictable result. Notice that I am not blaming the ethnicity, because we have plenty of scientists, professors, engineers, etc. from the same ethnic background, just not from the same niche of society in those places. Our immigration system is broken, all right, but not in the way the pushers of phony "reform" say it is.

This is what happens when the welfare system becomes a lifelong goal when, upon its inception, was meant to be TEMPORARY ASSISTANCE!! When the government pays more out to people than an honest day of work, well, the system is flawed, broken and backwards.

There are little to no restrictions on these 'food stamp' cards (which look too similar to credit cards). A person can buy the most expensive cereals, ice cream, breads...they can eat better than the average middle class family who clips coupons and has to stay within a budget.

Then you have this little Cheese Market...and MANY other markets abusing the system to the tune of 1/2 million.

This system is out-dated and costing the taxpayers too much in fraud and waste.

$500,000 the same amount the Galesi group is screwing the taxpayers and HUD out of. Thieves in every economic group.

Quoted from rpforpres

$500,000 the same amount the Galesi group is screwing the taxpayers and HUD out of. Thieves in every economic group.

Exactly....one is welfare fraud and the other is corporate fraud!! And the working folks who pay the taxes are the only ones on the losing end....we are slaves to both!!!

You can hardly blame newcomers for noticing all the thieving going on at both ends of the economic spectrum and figuring out how to get some for themselves, except that I object to all of it because I am paying for it.

ok...then how do you live within your means....give me a hint......when you are making minimum wage....can't get a job in your field....because of "downsizing".......

no growth in the region and now all tech jobs available...so college degrees for other careers are down the tubes......the system stinks, corrupt ....and these welfare people have been taught well by the people who confess

"government"......so actually there's nothing with defrauding......seems so hypocritical .........seems like government people have become streetwise....

Quoted from rpforpres

$500,000 the same amount the Galesi group is screwing the taxpayers and HUD out of. Thieves in every economic group.

Excellent point! Maybe the cops, tax dept and other agencies should start taking a closer look at how the City officials are spending taxpayer money!!

It's simply criminal...

They were being entrepreneurs....you see they made a BIG section in the paper.....hahahahaha....that's so it overshadows
the corporate/government food stamp system of entrepreneurs...

those folks followed the example set up by the likes of metroplex/PILOT/IDA etc etc.......

stop looking side to side for blame....LOOK UP!!!!!!

• Greg Soucia, 28, of 927 State St.

• Latrice Neal, 25, of 1705 Albany St.

• Jeffrey Collins, 36, of 1302 Lower Broadway

• Joseph Gaito, 51, of 13 State St.

• Jose Berrios, 60, of 425 Hamilton St.

• George Bates, 64, of 13 State St.

• Fareedah Quarterman, 33, of DeGraff Street

• Chitranjan Persaud, 50, of 1103 McClyman St.

• Jerome McDowell, 25, of 1333 State St.

• Johanna Stevens, 22, of 925 Albany St.

• Laura Lazzari, 47, of 706 Altamont Ave.

• Rosalie Kahler, 42, of 15 Moyston St.

• Patricia Merritt, 56, of 288 Duane Ave.

• Nima Charboneau, 53, of 834 State St.

• Derrica McFarlane, 28, of 1005 State St.

• Wilbert Dunbar, 49, of 519 Hegeman St.

• Richard Guyton, 43, of 1253 State St.

• Lisa Hatcher, 35, of 826 Hamilton St.

• Anjanie Jaipersaud, 44, of 810 Lincoln Ave.

they are smart enough to figure out this scheme...maybe Bill Gates could hook 'em up with a GOOD paying job that's FUN....
NOT SOME MONKEY JOB IN THE SYSTEM