Four Erie Residents Charged with Conspiracy to Defraud the U.S. and Food Stamp Fraud

ERIE, Pa. - Four residents of Erie, Pennsylvania have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Erie on charges of conspiracy to defraud the United States and food stamp fraud, Acting United States Attorney Soo C. Song announced today.

The four count indictment named Abdul Alquraishi, 50; Hussain K. Al-Maliki, 50; Dhia Almaleki, 46; and Muntather Alquraishi, 24, as defendants.

According to the indictment presented to the court, Abdul Alquraishi, Hussain K. Al-Maliki, Dhia Almaleki and Muntather Alquraishi were engaged in exchanging food stamps for cash on a regular basis at The Lotto World, also known as Samir’s and Lotto World Convenience, a convenience store located at 832 State Street in Erie. The four defendants also allowed customers to pay off store credit with food stamps. Alquraishi was also using customers’ food stamp cards to buy items at various stores in the area.

The law provides for a maximum total sentence of 10 years in prison, a fine of $500,000, or both for Abdul Alquraishi, Hussain K. Al-Maliki and Dhia Almaleki and 5 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both for Muntather Alquraishi. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendants.

Assistant United States Attorney Christian A. Trabold is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The United States Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General, Homeland Security Investigations, IRS-Criminal Investigations, and the Erie Police Department conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case.

An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.