The former owner of a corner market in St. Paul has admitted to a multimillion-dollar food stamp scheme that lasted nearly four years.
Khaffak S. Ansari, 45, of Arden Hills, pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court in St. Paul to food stamp fraud. He was charged with making bogus redemptions for cash and ineligible merchandise at the Stryker Avenue Market.
According to the indictment, the fraudulent transactions ran from January 2006 through late last year. It is illegal for food stamps to be redeemed for cash.
According to a law enforcement affidavit filed in the case, the average food stamp redemption for a similarly sized store in Minnesota between 2004 and 2009 was slightly more than $320,000. By comparison over that same period, Stryker's redemptions were nearly 10 times that.
He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
PAUL WALSH
