According to authorities, 17 individuals have been indicted in connection with a conspiracy involving $2.4 million in stolen Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program payments, the result of a multi-agency law enforcement investigation.
The U.S. Justice Department said in a release that a number of federal and local law enforcement agencies participated in an operation on Tuesday to “dismantle” the group.
Members of the criminal group “purchased SNAP-eligible products for resale on the black market by using skimming devices and stolen Electric Benefits Transfer (EBT) accounts,” according to officials.
Large amounts of infant formula, energy drinks, and other SNAP-eligible goods are among the things that were fraudulently bought and then resold. The products were bought from supermarkets and curbside pickup websites in California, Washington, and Oregon.
According to Portland Police Chief Bob Day, a Portland police investigator first looked into the matter locally before contacting federal law enforcement as the investigation’s breadth expanded.
The Portland Police Bureau, the Gresham Police Department, the Vancouver Police Department, the U.S. Marshals, and several additional sheriff’s and police departments from Oregon, Washington, and California are among the law enforcement organizations participating in the investigation.
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Over 120,000 pounds of products were fraudulently purchased by the group of individuals indicted during the scheme, which took place between August 2023 and October 2024, according to officials.
The goods were kept at storage facilities and residences in Washington and Oregon. Officials claimed that after being “packaged and transported to California in private vehicles or via commercial carriers,” they were sold on the illegal market.
