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Press Release

Grocery Store Owner Sentenced To Prison For Defrauding Federal Food Stamp Program

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Pennsylvania

PHILADELPHIA - Young Hwa Jung, 57, of North Wales, PA, was sentenced today to 15 months in prison for committing fraud against a government assistance program, announced Acting United States Attorney Louis D. Lappen. The defendant had been charged by criminal information with one count of conspiracy and one count of trafficking in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (“SNAP”), benefits, formerly known as food stamps. The SNAP is administered by the United States Department of Agriculture (“USDA”)’s Food and Nutrition Service, with the goal of alleviating hunger in the United States.

The defendant owned and operated Jung & Hong Inc, a retail grocery store located at 2501 South 70th Street in Philadelphia. As he admitted at his guilty plea hearing on December 13, 2016, the defendant trafficked SNAP benefits by purchasing those benefits from customers of Jung & Hong, Inc. in exchange for cash, which is illegal. As the defendant admitted further, between January 2011 and May 2016, as a result of his trafficking activities, the defendant caused a loss of approximately $607,017.17 to USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service.

In addition to the prison term, the Honorable Gene E.K. Pratter, United States District Judge, sentenced the defendant to three years of supervised release to follow incarceration; full restitution of $607,017.17; and a special assessment of $200. The Court also ordered forfeiture of a 2013 Toyota Tundra that the defendant had purchased with the proceeds of the fraud.

The case was investigated by the United States Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mary E. Crawley.

Updated March 13, 2017