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Press Release

Florida Woman Charged With Defrauding SNAP Recipients

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York

Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Jocelyn E. Strauber, the Commissioner of the New York City Department of Investigation (“DOI”), announced the unsealing of an Indictment today charging GUYATREE SINGH with engaging in a years-long scheme to defraud at least approximately 120 low-income residents of New York City out of tens of thousands of dollars of their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (“SNAP”) benefits.  SINGH was arrested yesterday and will be presented today in the Southern District of Florida.  The case has been assigned to U.S. District Court Judge Jed S. Rakoff.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Over the course of years, Guyatree Singh is alleged to have cheated at least approximately 120 low-income, primarily elderly residents of New York City.  Singh allegedly preyed on some of the most vulnerable people in our community, leaving the victims with no money to buy food.  Today’s arrest demonstrates this Office’s commitment to ensuring that our justice system protects everyone from fraud.”

DOI Commissioner Jocelyn E. Strauber said: “The SNAP program provides food support to low-income New Yorkers.  This defendant posed as a New York State employee to deceive more than a hundred SNAP recipients and gain access to their accounts, defrauding the recipients of about $50,000 in benefits, as charged in the Indictment.  I thank HRA for referring the matter to DOI, and the Office of the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York for their partnership in thwarting such predatory schemes.”

According to the allegations contained in the Indictment:[1]

From at least in or about April 2019 through at least May 2023, SINGH engaged in a scheme to defraud at least approximately 120 SNAP recipients living in the Southern District of New York — a majority of whom appear to be elderly — of their SNAP benefits.  In total, SINGH defrauded the victims out of at least approximately $49,754.52 in benefits. 

SNAP provides low-income individuals with electronic benefits that can be used like cash to purchase food.  People eligible for SNAP benefits are given an electronic benefits transfer (“EBT”) card, which looks like a debit card and gives a person access to his or her SNAP benefits, allowing the SNAP recipient to buy groceries and other items at participating stores. 

SINGH called SNAP recipients and pretended to be a New York State employee working for SNAP.  SINGH then asked the victims for their personally identifiable information, including their dates of birth and social security numbers.  Unbeknownst to the victims, SINGH then used this information to reset the personal identification numbers (“PIN”) on their EBT cards.  Once the PINs were reset, SINGH used the victims’ EBT account numbers and new PINs to make purchases for herself at grocery stores in Florida using the victims’ SNAP funds. 

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SINGH, 51, of West Palm Beach, Florida, is charged with one count of wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and one count of aggravated identity theft, which carries a mandatory consecutive sentence of two years in prison.

The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge.

Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the DOI and the Special Agents of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

This case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Sowlati is in charge of the prosecution.

The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.


[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictment and the description of the Indictment set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.

Contact

Nicholas Biase
(212) 637-2600

Updated August 9, 2023

Topics
Financial Fraud
Identity Theft
Press Release Number: 23-281