Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia announced the arrest of Anwar Jouda for allegedly engaging in identity theft and fraud of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits totaling $862,000 through a press release this week.
“If you try to steal from the taxpayers, I can guarantee that the law will catch up with you and ensure that you face the consequences of your crimes," Ingoglia said in a statement. "Under my watch, public assistance fraud will not be tolerated in Florida, which is why my investigators are going after these fraudsters every day. My main goal as CFO is to protect the taxpayers of Florida and root out waste, fraud, and abuse.”
The Department of Financial Services, Bureau of Public Assistance Fraud (BPAF) led the investigation.
According to the CFO, BPAF investigators found that Jouda unlawfully used the identity of a victim and their SNAP-authorized business to include fraudulent merchant applications, forged documents, falsified banking information, and deceptive communications without their knowledge or consent.
Jouda then facilitated the fraudulent merchant accounts to divert SNAP deposits into his bank account. He also sent some SNAP funds through wire transfers to Ramallah, the de facto capital of Palestine, in the West Bank.
He was arrested and charged with grand theft, organized scheme to defraud, and criminal use of personal identification information.
"This alleged well organized, well planned and well executed theft of monies intended to assist low-income families with maintaining their abilities to put healthy food on their tables, literally took food from the mouths of needy families and children," Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez-Rundle said.
"Allegedly sending some of those stolen SNAP benefit monies out of the country adds another level of insult to those legitimately needing this assistance. I applaud the actions of Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia and his detectives from the Bureau of Public Assistance Fraud for their work in uncovering this fraud and the fraud detectives of the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office for their work in developing this fraud investigation into a fully prosecutable criminal case," she added.
