(WNY News Now) – A Rochester convenience store owner was sentenced to two years of supervised release and ordered to repay nearly $247,000 after pleading guilty to food stamp fraud involving unauthorized transactions.
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Zina Amba Mbile Mbile, 46, who operated Beni Food convenience store on Dewey Avenue, was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford for committing food stamp fraud. The owner was ordered to pay $246,890 in restitution to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and serve two years of supervised release.
According to court documents, between March 1, 2020, and July 23, 2024, Mbile accepted Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits from customers in exchange for non-food items such as cosmetics, violating program rules. Additionally, Mbile exchanged cash for food stamp benefits, creating illicit profits. The SNAP program provides eligible low-income individuals with debit cards to purchase approved food items at authorized stores. Businesses are prohibited from accepting benefits for non-food products or exchanging benefits for cash.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle P. Rossi explained that Mbile’s actions resulted in nearly a quarter-million dollars being fraudulently deposited into Beni Food’s bank accounts for food that was never purchased.
The investigation was led by the USDA Office of Inspector General, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Monroe County Department of Human Services, with key oversight from Special Agents Charmeka Parker and Erin Keegan and Commissioner Thalia Wright.
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