(KNSI) — A 60-year-old St. Cloud business owner has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison and three years probation for defrauding two government assistance programs.
Hared Nur Jibril owned and operated Hormud Meat and Grocery Market from 2009 through 2021. Jibril applied for an application and signed a required certification and agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to be part of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Hormud Market was also an authorized vendor in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for Women, Infants and Children.
Court documents accuse Jibril and other employees of devising and participating in a scheme to exchange SNAP and WIC benefits for cash and other ineligible items, including prepared food from Jibril’s restaurant. The scam went on for three years and ultimately bilked the USDA out of $4.1 million.
Jibril is also accused of fraudulently receiving unemployment benefits.
In 2020, the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development loosened the rules surrounding unemployment insurance for people who lost their jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic. Hormud Market was deemed an essential business. Jibril was still working but also applied for and received unemployment benefits totaling $32,724 after claiming he had been laid off.
In December, Jibril pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. In addition to prison time and probation, he is also ordered to pay $4,187,999.72 in restitution.
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