CLEVELAND — A New York convenience store operator has been arrested and charged with stealing more than $643,000 in food stamp, or SNAP, benefits from low-income Ohioans.
The Ohio Investigative Unit and the Cuyahoga County prosecutor's office announced Monday that Raed Subhi Abu Mohammad of Brooklyn, New York, is facing charges of illegal use of SNAP benefits, telecommunications fraud, aggravated theft and money laundering in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court.
Mohammad, 52, runs a business called Hot Spot Convenience 2, according to the indictment and a news release from the Ohio Department of Public Safety.
Cuyahoga County court records show a grand jury issued an indictment of Mohammad and Hot Spot Convenience 2 in late February. But investigators held off on announcing the case until he was in police custody.
The New York City Police Department arrested Mohammad on June 4. He'll be extradited to Ohio.
Agents say he fraudulently obtained the credentials for a legitimate retailer authorized to accept and process SNAP payments. Mohammad then used those credentials to run almost 3,000 transactions involving stolen Ohio EBT card numbers, often draining people’s accounts, according to investigators.
The thefts took place between March 1, 2024, and Jan. 14, 2025. SNAP recipients in Ohio lost more than $643,000, including upwards of $260,000 in Cuyahoga County.
RELATED: Food stamp theft jumped in Cuyahoga County in December 2024
In December 2024 alone, Mohammad was behind thefts of almost $240,000 in taxpayer money meant to put food on Ohioans' tables, investigators say.
Criminals employ skimmers and other devices to capture EBT card numbers and PINs at store checkouts. Then they use that information to hack and drain people’s accounts, often stealing SNAP benefits just moments after the cardholders’ monthly payments arrive.
The federal government stopped reimbursing theft victims for their stolen benefits in late 2024.
RELATED: Thieves stole his SNAP benefits. Then they took his federal reimbursement, too.
In Mohammad’s case, agents say most of the fraudulent transactions happened in the middle of the night. The scheme involved liquidating the stolen money through large cash withdrawals and wire transfers.
“We hope this case serves as a reminder that the Ohio Investigative Unit will pursue anyone, anywhere, when they victimize our most vulnerable population,” Greg Croft, senior enforcement commander for the Ohio Investigative Unit, said in a news release. ‘We have a duty to protect the citizens of the state of Ohio and the integrity of Ohio’s EBT program, regardless of where these bad operators operate from.
The Ohio Investigative Unit enforces state liquor and tobacco laws and has handled food-stamp fraud investigations for decades. The agency worked on the case with federal partners, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Secret Service.
RELATED: Ohio investigator talks about SNAP theft, skimming and defenses
Court records do not list an attorney for Mohammad or Hot Spot Convenience 2.
EBT cards in Ohio and most other states are uniquely vulnerable to theft because they only have basic magnetic stripes — not the security chips that are embedded on every debit and credit card in your wallet.
RELATED: 'A failure of government.' As food-stamp theft soars in Lorain, experts say urgent help is needed.
Ohio lawmakers just approved bills to start adding security chips to EBT cards. That legislation is headed to Gov. Mike DeWine’s desk for his signature.
RELATED: Ohio lawmakers pass bills to start upgrading EBT cards, protect SNAP recipients
If the governor signs off, the transition to chip cards would be gradual, starting with new cardholders. It’s not clear how long it would take — or how much it will cost — to upgrade the state’s entire system.
SNAP recipients in Ohio can lock their cards when they’re not shopping by using the ConnectEBT app, logging in to ConnectEBT.com, or calling 1-866-386-3071.
In May, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services changed the default setting on all cards so they’re locked for online or out-of-state purchases. That means cardholders must unlock their cards if they want to shop online or buy something outside of Ohio.
Almost all stolen EBT card data gets used in other states.
“Nationally, we are seeing an increase in food assistance fraud, and criminals from other states and online continue to prey on vulnerable Ohioans who rely on SNAP to feed their families,” Matt Damschroder, the director of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, said in a news release.
The department encourages cardholders to pick PINs that are difficult to guess, to change their PINs often and to monitor their accounts. People can report suspected fraud through the agency’s website.
From December to mid-May, the department’s fraud analytics team flagged nearly 56,000 suspicious out-of-state transactions on 12,900 Ohio EBT accounts. Collectively, the transactions surpassed $6.3 million.
State and federal agencies are pursuing several SNAP benefits cases in Northeast Ohio.
In late 2024, a Cuyahoga County grand jury indicted another New York-based retailer on charges of theft, illegal use of EBT, money laundering and telecommunications fraud.
RELATED: Judge issues warrant for arrest of New York man accused of stealing Ohio SNAP benefits
That case, against Hafedh Al Gahim and Buffalo Discount Court, is still pending. A pretrial hearing is set for late June in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court.
The Ohio Investigative Unit says Al Gahim took more than $125,000 from Ohio SNAP recipients and used the money to pay for “personal expenses, dining and leisure activities.”
And in federal court in Cleveland, five Romanian citizens are facing charges of fraud, theft and conspiracy as part of an intricate plot to turn stolen SNAP benefits into cash.
Prosecutors say the men are part of a Romanian crime ring that targeted hundreds of benefits accounts in California and Ohio.
RELATED: Feds say crime ring hid skimmers in Cleveland area, targeting SNAP recipients
Michelle Jarboe is the business growth and development reporter at News 5 Cleveland. Follow her on X @MJarboe or email her at Michelle.Jarboe@wews.com.
