Safety Harbor Man Headed To Prison, Convicted Of SNAP Benefit Fraud

SAFETY HARBOR, FL — U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday has sentenced Ghasan Awad, 60, of Safety Harbor to 27 months in federal prison for conspiracy to defraud and to make false statements to the United States Department of Agriculture.

The court also ordered Awad to make restitution to the USDA in the amount of $654,502.28.

According to court documents, Awad helped to orchestrate a conspiracy to defraud and to make false statements to the USDA by recruiting others to assist in submitting false and fraudulent representations to the USDA that a third party was buying a St. Petersburg convenience store that Awad then owned which was enrolled to accept USDA Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (SNAP) program benefits.

Specifically, in 2015, after the USDA had prohibited Awad from accepting any SNAP benefit purchases and prohibited him from owning the store or even working at the store, co-defendant Bassam Al Saleh joined with his brother, Ahmad Al Saleh, and Awad to create false records and representations that Ahmad Al Saleh had bought the store and that Ahmad Al Saleh was operating it himself, according to court documents.

In reality, Awad continued to operate and manage the store and continued to make profits from it, paying Ahmad Al Saleh a fee for the use of Al Saleh’s name as the owner of the store on USDA documents, said the courts.

See related story: Tampa Man Accused Of Defrauding USDA Out Of Half Million Dollars

In 2019, during the time that Awad was still operating the store under the supposed ownership of Ahmad Al Saleh, Awad committed numerous acts of SNAP benefits trafficking at the store. According to court documents, Awad bought SNAP benefits from customers and paid for them in cash in direct violation of USDA SNAP regulations. The court determined that the losses to the USDA and the SNAP program was at least $654,502.84.

“The integrity of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is critical to ensure that assistance is available to those truly in need,” said Homeland Security Investigations Tampa Assistant Special Agent in Charge John Dumas. “The combined efforts of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General, National Security Group, St. Petersburg Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations stopped this fraud from perpetuating.”