A $300,000
federal grant is enabling South Carolina officials to try a new approach to
food stamp trafficking, which they define to describe the sale of SNAP benefits
for cash, or the use of the benefits to turn a profit instead of to purchase
food. The core of South Carolina’s plan is hiring a fraud investigator and
assigning an assistant attorney general to focus solely on bringing felony
trafficking charges against those suspected of the crime. It appears to be the
first effort of its kind in the country and, if successful, could provide a
model for other states. Nationally, the trafficking rate is down to 1.3%
of the roughly $80 billion in current SNAP spending, or $858 million annually.
Source:
Stateline, 11/10/14, SNAP
Fraud
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