Teaneck Man Gets 37 Months In Prison For Food Stamps Scam

TEANECK, NJ – A Teaneck man was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison for stealing more than $750,000 from the government in food stamps scam and then fleeing the country to avoid prosecution, authorities said.

Jamil Bader, 60, was sentenced Thursday by U.S. District Judge Brian Martinotti in Newark federal court, as well as ordered to pay restitution of $754,424 to the government, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito said.

In July, Bader pleaded guilty to defrauding the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

From 2013 to 2016, Bader ran a small store in Newark but put its ownership in another person’s name because he had been banned from accepting food stamp benefit charges at his store due to a similar fraud scheme.

Authorities said he gave some customers cash in return for their food stamp benefits and kept a portion of the money for himself.

Bader also admitted getting a foreign passport and leaving the United States, authorities said.

On Thursday, the judge also sentenced Bader to receive three years of supervised release.