Following a multi-year investigation, the Office of State Inspector General and the Dauphin County District Attorney’s Office announced charges against seven individuals involved in a sophisticated SNAP trafficking operation that illegally processed $775,677.77 in fraudulent transactions over three years. The investigation centered on Quick Stop Convenience Store in Steelton, where the owner is charged with accepting Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits despite being permanently banned from the program.
“SNAP trafficking operations such as this one harm our entire community,” said Dauphin County District Attorney Fran Chardo. “These defendants systematically exploited a program meant to provide nutrition assistance to families in need. My office is proud to partner with the Office of State Inspector General to prosecute these crimes and send a clear message that this type of fraud will not be tolerated in Dauphin County.”
In SNAP trafficking schemes like this one, stores exchange recipients’ public benefits for cash at a fraction of the value — stores profit without providing food, while recipients obtain cash to use for items ineligible under SNAP. For example, a store may use a recipient’s EBT card to process a $200 transaction and provide $100 in cash to the recipient. The store is then reimbursed $200 in public benefits for the fraudulent transaction, profiting $100, while providing no food to the recipient.
Solanyi Ramos, owner of Quick Stop Convenience Store at 300 Lincoln Street in Steelton, along with three employees — Rafael Jermaine Powell, Wilson Javier Garcia Matteo, and Beatriz Rosario Acosta — are charged with orchestrating a scheme that exchanged SNAP benefits for cash and prohibited items. Three SNAP recipients — Shawn Van-Jeffrey McCoy, Dorothy A. Wilson, and Shariah Denise Kiser — are also charged with their participation in the fraud.
“This investigation demonstrates Pennsylvania’s commitment to rooting out fraud and protecting the integrity of programs designed to help our most vulnerable residents,” said State Inspector General Michelle A. Henry. “By using sophisticated methods to defraud the SNAP program, these defendants not only stole from taxpayers but also exploited individuals in need. Pennsylvania does not tolerate public assistance fraud: we investigate it, we prosecute it, and we will continue holding accountable those who abuse these life-saving programs.”
Arrest warrants have been issued for all seven defendants, and the investigation is ongoing. Anonymously report suspected welfare fraud on the OSIG website or call the Welfare Fraud Tipline: 1-800-932-0582.
