90 Miles From Tyranny : Louisiana: Third Muslim arrested in $1.2M food-stamp fraud case

Sunday, July 14, 2019

Louisiana: Third Muslim arrested in $1.2M food-stamp fraud case

An Alexandria man, already in jail for allegedly trying to kill his girlfriend's unborn baby, now stands accused of racketeering, more than $1 million in food-stamp fraud and more. 

The third suspect in a food-stamp fraud investigation was booked into the Rapides Parish Detention Center on Wednesday, Louisiana State Police confirmed.

Mustafa Abdel Abdelatif, 45, of 900 block of College Drive in Pineville, remains in jail on a $175,000 bond on one count each of racketeering, money laundering, bank fraud, computer fraud, unauthorized use of food stamps, illegal possession of stolen things and criminal conspiracy.

He has no court dates yet, according to the Rapides Parish Clerk of Court's website.

Fellow defendant Mohammad Abudayeh, 25, also remains in jail. Danny Assaf, 47, was booked into jail on April 23 and bonded out on April 25.

Abudayeh is set to be arraigned June 28 on two counts of bank fraud, two counts of computer fraud, two counts of unauthorized use of supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP) benefits and one count each of money laundering and racketeering.

His bond is $715,000 on these charges and unrelated charges of attempted first-degree feticide and criminal conspiracy.

Mohammad Abudayeh (left) and Danny Assaf (Photo: Courtesy/Rapides Parish Sheriff's Office)
Assaf, who faces charges of racketeering, money laundering, bank fraud, computer fraud and unauthorized use of SNAP benefits, has no court dates scheduled.

The three were arrested by state police in an investigation that began last June. It was triggered by an unusually high volume of food-stamp transactions, $1.2 million between October 2017 and March, at Abudayeh's store, the Food Mart at 2512 3rd St. in Alexandria.

Investigators from state police's Bureau of Investigations' Insurance Fraud Unit and the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services' Fraud and Recovery Unit allege that Abudayeh paid cash for people's food stamps and then made illegal purchases through the food-stamp program.

As part of the investigation, about 150 people were interviewed. Of those, 104 had their benefits revoked and are being required to repay $254,132.64 in fraudulent purchases made using their...

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