The co-owner of a New Britain convenience store and his wife were arrested today and charged with defrauding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also commonly known as the Food Stamp program.
REHMAN KHAN, age 52, and his wife, RAHANA KHAN, age 48, of 782 Pleasant Valley Road, South Windsor, were each charged with Larceny in the Second Degree by Defrauding a Public Community and Conspiracy to Commit Larceny in the Second Degree.
The charges are class C felonies punishable by a maximum term of imprisonment of ten years on each count.
According to the arrest warrant affidavit, Rehman Khan is a co-owner of Marina Food Store, a convenience store in New Britain where his wife also worked. The investigation was initiated after an audit by the United States Department of Agriculture indicated the possibility of fraud.
According to the warrant, between August 2010 and April 2012, an Agriculture Department undercover officer entered the store approximately 20 times and made small purchases of merchandise using a SNAP benefits card.
The undercover agent also received $600 in cash in violation of federal regulations and the Khan’s deducted $1,200 in additional, illegal profits from the benefits assigned to the agent's card, the warrant alleges.
SNAP, formerly known as the Food Stamp program, is a federally funded program administered by the State of Connecticut to assist low-income individuals with paying for food.
Rehman Khan and Rahana Khan were arraigned today in New Britain Superior Court, G.A. No. 15. Superior Court Judge Hillary B. Strackbein set bond at $30,000 for each and continued the cases until July 17, 2012.
The charges against both defendants are merely accusations and they are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case is being prosecuted by the Financial Crimes Bureau in the Office of the Chief State's Attorney.
