PORTLAND, Maine (AP) Two brothers accused of a massive welfare fraud scheme at a Portland grocery store have been sentenced to federal prison.
The Bangor Daily News reports that 41-year-old Ali Ratib Daham of Westbrook pleaded not guilty in November to conspiracy to defraud the United States government, money laundering and theft of government funds. He was sentenced to three years on Monday.
His brother 23-year-old Abdulkareem Daham was sentenced to two years after being convicted of conspiracy to defraud the U.S. during a jury trial.
Federal agents raided Ahram Halal Market in 2016 after being tipped off of unusually high sales at the market coming from food stamps. Prosecutors the brothers had allowed customers to exchange food assistance benefits for cash at a discounted rate from June 2011 through April 2016.
