Store owner convicted in $612,000 food stamp fraud

FLINT (AP) -- A federal jury has reached a guilty verdict against a Flint store owner accused of participating in a $612,000 food stamp fraud scheme. U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade says 55-year-old Noha Fofana was convicted of conspiracy to commit food stamp fraud. Fofana owns Mandingo African market. McQuade says he redeemed $750,000 in food stamp benefits from February 2009 to July 2011, and $612,000 came from "food stamps-for-cash" exchanges. Witnesses say Fofana and others would obtain Michigan bridge cards or bridge card numbers from recipients and call the numbers into the store. They say members of the conspiracy then entered the bridge card numbers at the Mandingo Market in order to transfer the benefits to the market's bank account. U.S. District Judge Mark Goldsmith is scheduled to sentence Fofana on Nov. 20. Published: Thu, Aug 23, 2012