Four South Florida store owners or operators are facing federal criminal charges after investigators accused them of running a massive, years-long scheme to defraud the nation's supplemental nutrition program out of more than $19 million by trading benefits for cash.
A federal grand jury returned an indictment charging the men for their roles in trafficking taxpayer-funded food benefits across Miami-Dade and Broward counties from July 2019 through May 2026, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Miami announced Thursday.
According to federal court records, the defendants operated through three neighborhood retail locations to defraud the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP):
- Brown Sugar, owned by Rajaie Ahmad Ali, 63, of Miramar.
- Kwik Stop, owned by Sami Jamhour, 43, of Hollywood.
- Quickie Mini Market, owned by Cristian Giovanni Amaro, 27, of Miami.
Prosecutors also said Adel Amro, 23, of Fort Myers, served as a recruiter, seeking out SNAP recipients willing to exchange their benefits for cash, prosecutors said.
The defendants face a number of charges, including conspiracy to commit SNAP trafficking and money laundering. If convicted, they face from 30 years to 65 years in federal prison.
Ali, who is from Jordan, is subject to deportation, officials said.
How the alleged SNAP benefits for cash worked
Federal prosecutors said that Ali and Amaro provided the electronic point-of-sale terminals assigned to their respective stores for use inside Jamhour's store, violating program rules that strictly prohibit sharing terminals.
According to prosecutors, instead of purchasing groceries, SNAP recipients would hand over their electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards to be charged for inflated transaction amounts. Store operators would then pay the recipients about half the swiped amount in cash, pocketing the rest as illicit profit.
"Food stamps exist to help families put food on the table, not to make criminals rich,"
Jason A. Reding Quiñones, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, said in a statement. "Public benefits fraud steals twice: first from taxpayers who fund these programs, and again from the families who rely on them."
Inspector General John Walk of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General, called the prolonged scheme "outrageous."
"Criminals who conspire to steal food assistance dollars from needy Americans to enrich themselves are disgraceful and will be held to account," he said.
FBI Miami Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles said the defendants carried out their scheme for almost seven years, "stealing millions of dollars from Americans with no remorse to the harm they inflicted upon South Florida communities."
"This investigation should be a clear message to anyone who targets government programs for ill-gotten gains — the FBI and our local, state, and federal partners will always investigate and bring to justice those who undermine our government and exploit American citizens in need," he added.
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