Man Gets 15 Months for Food Stamp Sales
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A Los Angeles man who pleaded guilty to trafficking in government food stamps has been sentenced to 15 months in prison.
Thurman Branch, 58, also was ordered to pay restitution of $112,389--equal to the amount of food stamps federal authorities said he had obtained illegally in order to sell them. He was put on three years’ probation, according to federal Department of Agriculture officials who investigated the case.
Branch was arrested by USDA agents in March after he sold $29,400 in food stamps to an undercover agent for $25,000 in cash. Investigators said they had observed runners buying the stamps from recipients outside a distribution center. The runners then entered Branch’s car.
After Branch’s arrest, investigators found another $82,000 in food stamps in his apartment.
The arrest stemmed from a crackdown on illegal street trafficking of food stamps in the Los Angeles area, said Charles Gillum, USDA acting inspector general.
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