A Chicago man has been sentenced to four years in prison for orchestrating a scheme to defraud the federal Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program. The WIC program is designed to help low-income children and pregnant or postpartum women access nutritious food.
Between 2010 and 2018, Hassan Abdellatif collaborated with eight other convenience store owners or employees in the Chicago area. They allowed customers to use WIC checks for non-eligible items, often charging inflated prices. Over $19 million in WIC checks were redeemed by ten stores involved in the scheme.
Last year, a federal jury found Abdellatif, 37, guilty on all five counts against him. These included two counts of wire fraud, one count of fraudulently obtaining government benefits, and two counts of willfully failing to file corporate tax returns. U.S. District Judge Jorge L. Alonso also ordered Abdellatif to pay more than $8.8 million in restitution.
Eight others charged as part of the investigation have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing.
The sentence was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the FBI's Chicago Field Office; Shantel R. Robinson from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Office of Inspector General; and Adam Jobes from IRS Criminal Investigation in Chicago.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kartik K. Raman and Rick Young represented the government during prosecution.
“Hassan Abdellatif and his co-schemers engaged in conduct that was extremely serious, complex, and wide-ranging in scope,” AUSA Raman stated in the government's sentencing memorandum. “Vulnerable communities are impacted when individuals steal from those programs.”
