Perry Carbone, acting as Attorney for the United States under 28 U.S.C. § 515, alongside Charmeka Parker of the USDA Office of Inspector General and Christopher G. Raia from the FBI’s New York Field Office, announced charges against six individuals involved in a large-scale fraud and bribery scheme related to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The indictment reveals unauthorized transactions totaling over $66 million.
The accused include Michael Kehoe, Mohamad Nawafleh, Omar Alrawashdeh, Gamal Obaid, Emad Alrawashdeh, and Arlasa Davis. They face charges of conspiracy to steal government funds and misappropriate USDA benefits. Arlasa Davis, a USDA employee, is additionally charged with bribery and honest services fraud.
U.S. Attorney Perry Carbone stated that “Michael Kehoe and his co-conspirators misappropriated tens of millions of dollars in taxpayer funds meant to help low-income families put food on the table.” He emphasized that such actions undermine essential programs relied upon by vulnerable populations.
Charmeka Parker highlighted collaboration with law enforcement partners in addressing allegations against government employees exploiting taxpayer-funded programs. Christopher G. Raia pointed out that Davis allegedly abused her position to aid co-conspirators in fraudulent SNAP transactions.
The SNAP program provides assistance through Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards used at authorized stores. According to court documents, starting in 2019, Kehoe orchestrated a network supplying unauthorized EBT terminals across New York for illegal transactions exceeding $30 million. The group submitted approximately 200 fraudulent applications to obtain EBT terminals for unqualified businesses.
Arlasa Davis played a crucial role by using her access to federal systems to sell EBT license numbers for over $36 million in fraudulent redemptions at unauthorized locations. In exchange for these numbers, she received bribes disguised as gifts.
All defendants are charged with conspiracy to steal government funds and misappropriate USDA benefits among other charges. Sentences could range up to 20 years depending on individual counts.
The case is being managed by the General Crimes Unit with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Georgia V. Kostopoulos and Joe Zabel leading the prosecution efforts.
It is important to note that all charges are allegations until proven otherwise in court proceedings.
___
