A Chicago man has been sentenced to more than four years in federal prison for fraudulently obtaining more than $1.5 million in benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
SNAP is a federal benefit program administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to supplement the food budgets of low-income households.
Retail stores authorized to participate in the program can accept SNAP benefits through Electronic Benefit Transfer cards, also known as Link cards, although it is illegal for stores or individuals to exchange the cards for cash or other items.
From 2018 to 2023, David Quinones allegedly gave cash or other items to SNAP recipients in exchange for access to their Link cards. Quinones used the cards to purchase various goods at authorized retail stores, fraudulently representing himself as the authorized user of the cards. He then resold most of the goods, keeping the proceeds for himself. In total, Quinones allegedly used more than 1,200 cards and fraudulently caused the USDA to pay out about $1,554,804 in SNAP benefits.
Chicago Man Sentenced to More Than Four Years in Federal Prison for Fraudulently Obtaining $1.5 Million in SNAP Benefits @OIGUSDA @Chicago_Policehttps://t.co/7sZ6yq0a3y
— U.S. Attorney’s Office (NDIL) (@NDILnews) March 16, 2026
Quinones, 45, of Chicago, pleaded guilty last year to a federal wire fraud charge.
On March 9, 2026, U.S. District Judge Steven C. Seeger sentenced Quinones to four years and four months in federal prison and ordered him to pay $1,554,804 in restitution to the government.
About 1 million households or 2 million people use the SNAP program in Illinois, according to the Illinois Department of Human Resources.
Learn the " #Chicago ##Illinois way"
— Aaron X (@BlackXodus) March 17, 2026
#Snap #Food Link Card #Corrupción
** 👀 ***
Two days later, investigators again set up surveillance at the Evergreen Park store and watched Quinones purchase 139 cases of soda using three Link cards...https://t.co/DtEY0802YA
Leftists will tell you there’s no fraud. https://t.co/bprCrXvmg8
— Libs Of Chicago (@Libs_OfChicago) March 17, 2026
Criminals have stolen millions of dollars from taxpayers through Illinois's SNAP program. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says that over $20.8 million of SNAP benefits have been replaced because of fraud from fiscal year 2023 to 2025, according to a federal dashboard that tracks SNAP fraud.
The sentence was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Shantel R. Robinson, Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General, and Larry Snelling, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Kelly.
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