Manchester store owner, worker face SNAP fraud charges

MANCHESTER — A Manchester convenience store owner and his employee were arrested this week for allegedly taking customers’ food stamp benefits for cash, gasoline and male enhancement pills, the U.S. Attorney’s office said Friday.

Manchester Quick Mart owner Javed Saeed and Dastgir Saeed, an employee who helped operate the store, were charged Wednesday with committing food stamp fraud offenses between November 2016 and January 2020, according to a news release.

The two South Windsor men and others are accused of illegally allowing customers to redeem their benefits for cash and ineligible items; in exchange, those customers’ food stamp cards were charged a premium of nearly 50%, the release said.

SNAP benefits are meant to help low-income households eat healthy. They can only be used for food, non-alcoholic beverages and seeds and plants that produce food. All other items are ineligible, including beer, wine and liquor, tobacco, vitamins and supplements, and household products.

Javed Saeed, 52, and Dastgir Saeed, 68, are each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit food stamp fraud and one count of food stamp fraud, charges that carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

They were indicted Sept. 14 by a federal grand jury in Hartford.

The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Office of Inspector General.