The owner of several Gwinnett County convenience stores was sentenced to five years, seven months in prison for stealing more than a $1 million from the federal government, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Tuesday.
Terry Stinson, 47, of Grayson, was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $800,015 for stealing from the WIC and food stamp program, acting U.S. Attorney John Horn said in an emailed statement.
“The WIC and SNAP programs are designed to meet the basic but critical nutritional needs of low-income households,” Horn said. “By paying significantly less than face value of the vouchers with cash, Stinson’s greed defeated an important purpose of the program, to ensure that mothers, children, and low-income families receive nutritious food.”
From October 2009 through November 2011, Stinson owned and operated six convenience stores in Gwinnett, including the Nu Energy Foods store in Lawrenceville, according to prosecutors. Nu Energy Foods was authorized by the State of Georgia to redeem WIC vouchers for specified food items, such as infant formula, milk, and cheese. Nu Energy Foods and Stinson’s other stores were also authorized to accept SNAP benefits.
But instead of accepting the vouchers as payment for qualified food items, Stinson and his employees paid cash for the vouchers, Horn’s office said.
Between 2009 and 2011, Nu Energy Foods redeemed over $2.3 million dollars in WIC vouchers — approximately $2 million dollars more than the average of similar WIC-authorized vendor stores.
In August 2011, police investigated an armed robbery at Nu Energy Foods and recovered a cash exchange log, prosecutors said. Investigators determined that the log catalogued the illegal sale of WIC and SNAP benefits for cash. During an undercover investigation, employees of Nu Energy Foods purchased WIC vouchers and SNAP benefits in exchange for cash paid to an undercover agent, Horn said.
Stinson was convicted in February.
About the Author
