An independent journalist in Ohio has uncovered elaborate fraud schemes allegedly involving Somali immigrants exploiting the Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) system.
The investigation, detailed in a video that has gone viral on social media, highlights how some individuals are using welfare benefits to subsidize their businesses while evading taxes.
The video, posted on X by @WallStreetApes, shows the journalist touring Columbus neighborhoods and explaining the mechanics of the scheme.
He describes how Somali-owned restaurants are often attached to grocery stores, allowing owners to use EBT cards to purchase bulk ingredients for their eateries.
“Every single Somali restaurant has a grocery store right next door or within eye shot of the restaurant,” the journalist states. “They can just order everything they need to their grocery store that’s right next or attached to the restaurant that they also own and never have to fill a single cart.”
According to the investigator, these grocery stores are likely to report significant losses annually, which are used as tax write-offs, while the restaurants operate on cash, funneling the government-funded goods into profitable ventures.
The journalist also points out the role of polygamous marriages in the community, noting that multiple wives can claim benefits as single mothers, further maximizing welfare payouts.
“If you have two or three wives that don’t claim, these women can go work at Wal-Mart full time for $15 an hour and still qualify for food stamps as long as they have a couple kids,” he explains.
The journalist references Minnesota, where 88% of the Somali community is reportedly on social services, suggesting the fraud in Columbus could be equally pervasive.
This follow-up investigation builds on an earlier report by Columbus resident Nakia Deon, who first brought attention to similar scams in a video shared on X.
Deon described Somali men owning businesses like markets, with their wives using EBT cards exclusively at those stores, leading to massive fraud through hidden polygamous marriages and money laundering.
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