McKeesport Grocery Store Owner Sentenced to Prison for Food Stamp Fraud and Money Laundering Conspiracy

PITTSBURGH, PA - A resident of Glassport, PA, has been sentenced in federal court to 27 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by a two-year term of supervised release, on his conviction of Conspiracy, Food Stamp Fraud, and Money Laundering Conspiracy, Acting United States Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman announced today.

United States District Judge William S. Stickman imposed the sentence on Sin Y Sit, 46, of 502 Marie Street, Glassport, PA 15045.

According to information presented to the court, beginning in and around March 2014, and continuing until May 2017, the defendant engaged in acts of food stamp fraud and money laundering conspiracy. Sin Y Sit and his wife Qiao Jiang owned and operated Mei A. Asian Grocery in McKeesport, PA. Sit and Jiang allowed customers to unlawfully exchange food stamp credits under the USDA’s S.N.A.P. program for cash (the defendants paid out fifty cents on a dollar) and other ineligible grocery items, such as tobacco. The amount of fraud during the term of the conspiracy is between $250,000 and $550,000. The defendant also engaged in financial transactions involving cash withdrawals of money which had been transferred into the store’s business account by the USDA to reimburse the defendant and his store for the food stamp credits which had been scanned by the defendant and his customers at the store during the fraudulent transactions. The cash withdrawn by the defendant was then used by the defendant at his store to pay more customers in the unlawful use of the food stamp credits..

Assistant United States Attorney Shaun E. Sweeney prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

Acting United States Attorney Kaufman commended the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General, Department of Homeland Security Investigations, and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Sin Y Sit.