Tacoma grocery store owner indicted for stealing over $600,000 of EBT benefits
The U.S. Attorney’s Office arraigned a Tacoma grocery store owner for a fraud scheme that stole over $600,000 worth of SNAP benefits, according to a press release.
The 64-year-old owner from Kent, Manjit Bedi, owned and operated a small grocery store known as the Asian Grocery Store, indictment documents said.
The store was authorized in February 2024 to accept SNAP benefits. By the next month, Bedi agreed to give SNAP recipients cash in exchange for money on their EBT card, the indictment alleges.
For example, Bedi would allegedly charge $200 on an EBT recipient’s card, provide them with $100 in cash then keep the other $100 for profit, the indictment said.
Bedi continued the scheme for over a year, pocketing over $600,000 worth of benefits, the indictment alleges. He faces multiple counts of wire fraud and SNAP benefit fraud, which are punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
“Every assistance dollar lost to fraud, is a dollar that could be feeding hungry children,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd. “This crime steals from taxpayers - including our most needy, cutting the dollars they have for food.”
This story was originally published April 22, 2026 at 4:18 PM.
