A Chicago man was sentenced on March 9 to more than four years in federal prison for fraudulently obtaining over $1.5 million in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.
The case highlights the misuse of federal food assistance programs and the consequences of defrauding government resources intended for eligible individuals.
According to authorities, David Quinones, 45, exchanged cash or other items with SNAP recipients from 2018 to 2023 in return for access to their Link cards. He then used these cards at authorized retail stores, posing as the legitimate user, and purchased various goods which he later resold for personal profit. In total, Quinones used more than 1,200 cards and caused the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to pay out approximately $1,554,804 in SNAP benefits.
Quinones pleaded guilty last year to a federal wire fraud charge. U.S. District Judge Steven C. Seeger sentenced him to four years and four months in prison and ordered restitution of $1,554,804 to the government.
The sentencing was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Shantel R. Robinson, Special Agent-in-Charge of the USDA Office of Inspector General; and Larry Snelling, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Kelly represented the government in this case.
SNAP is administered by the USDA to help supplement food budgets for those who qualify. While authorized retailers can accept SNAP benefits through EBT or Link cards, exchanging these cards for cash or unauthorized items is illegal.
