Meriden Grocery Store Operator Guilty of Food Stamp Fraud

A Meriden grocery store operator faces up to ten years in prison for committing food stamp fraud.

Myrachid Elquafai, 51, was found guilty Friday by a jury following a five-day trial in federal court in New Haven.

Elquafai, a citizen of Morocco who last resided in New Haven, was arrested in August 2012 while operating the CJ Express and Groceries LLC at 145 West Main Street.

According to prosecutors, from approximately June 2010 to July 2012, Elquafai conspired with Carlos Dominguez, the owner of the store, to redeem Supplemental Nutrition and Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits at the store at a significantly discounted rate in exchange for cash and cigarettes. 

Since February 2010, it is estimated that $820,000 in illegal SNAP benefits were redeemed at the store, according to prosecutors.

The program is administered by the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service and utilizes federal tax dollars to subsidize low-income households to provide them with the opportunity to achieve a more nutritious diet by increasing their food-purchasing power. 

Items such as alcoholic beverages, cigarettes, paper goods and soaps, however, are not eligible for purchase through SNAP. The benefits may not lawfully be exchanged for cash under any circumstances. 

The jury found Elquafai guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit food stamp fraud and one count of food stamp fraud. He's scheduled to be sentenced in July.

Dominguez has pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing.