Oklahoma City Convenience Store Owner Convicted of Defrauding Food Stamp Program

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma –Last Friday, SRINADHA RAVI DIRISINA, 35, of Oklahoma City, was convicted by a jury of stealing money from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as the Food Stamp Program, which is administered by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The SNAP program was established to provide food to low-income individuals through approved retail food stores.  The Oklahoma Department of Human Services (ODHS) determines whether individuals are eligible to receive benefits.  Retail stores apply for USDA authorization to accept SNAP benefits as payment for eligible food items, and the stores certify they understand that trading cash for food stamp benefits violates the program regulations.  Since February of 2008, ODHS has given electronic benefit transfer cards (a debit-type card known as Access Oklahoma cards) to SNAP recipients instead of paper food stamps.

Dirisina was the owner/operator of Welcome Mart located at 1100 W. Reno Ave., in Oklahoma City, and was authorized by USDA on February 14, 2014, to be a qualified retail store to accept SNAP benefits.  Evidence at trial showed that Dirisina and his employees, at his direction, exchanged SNAP benefits for cash on a discount basis of fifty cents on the dollar, meaning that for every dollar the store received from the USDA, the SNAP recipient received only 50 cents in cash.  Evidence showed that Dirisina defrauded the SNAP program out of $147,603.31.

Dirisina was indicted by a federal grand jury on July 22, 2015, and was charged by a Superseding Indictment on September 1, 2015.   A jury convicted Dirisina on Count 1 of the Superseding Indictment, alleging stealing from the SNAP Program.  Dirisina was found not guilty of Counts 2, 3, and 4, which charged him with witness tampering.  A sentencing hearing will be set in approximately 90 days.

This case was investigated by the United States Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General and the Oklahoma Department of Human Services Office of Inspector General.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amanda Maxfield Green and Matthew P. Anderson.