{"id":223,"date":"2016-10-14T21:57:56","date_gmt":"2016-10-14T21:57:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/7c1844e6df.nxcli.net\/?p=223"},"modified":"2019-05-08T21:07:59","modified_gmt":"2019-05-09T01:07:59","slug":"snap-trafficking-violation-dismissed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usda.attorney\/snap-violation-attorney-results\/snap-trafficking-violation-dismissed\/","title":{"rendered":"Dismissal of Trafficking Charges"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-224 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/usda.attorney\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/6ab7a2c895f698d8070639ed3087611a.jpg\" alt=\"Trafficking Violation of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Answer to Charging Letter<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>For a number of years, a small Pensacola, Florida convenience store operated in a 1,500 square foot space.\u00a0 The store was one of six owned by a local gentleman.\u00a0 Each store operated similarly with a number of flat fee (bulk item) sale prices.\u00a0 Further, the store was located in the middle of a low income neighborhood, and was within walking distances of a number of duplexes.<\/p>\n<p>Accordingly, the store owner stocked the\u00a0shelves with a number of grocery items, many of which were canned or frozen goods.\u00a0 The local population became regular customers because the store offered reasonable prices and was within walking distance of their homes.\u00a0 For years, the store operated this way.<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Allegations of SNAP Trafficking<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>In the store&#8217;s eighth year of operations, it received a SNAP Trafficking Charge Letter in which the USDA accused the store of fraudulently accepting benefits.\u00a0 The specific charges fell into three categories:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>A significant number of transactions occurred at the store in which the total ended in the same cents value (for example: ending in &#8220;.00&#8221; or &#8220;.99&#8221;);<\/li>\n<li>A series of transactions at the store happened on the same individual benefit accounts in unusually short time frames (less than twenty-four hours); and<\/li>\n<li>Excessively large purchase transactions occurred at the store more frequently than the USDA believed they should ($30 or more).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Attached to the letter were three different groups of transactions.\u00a0 Each group correlated to one of the categories listed on the front page.\u00a0 Though the Charge Letter lacked details, the store owner had only ten days to put together an answer.<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Metropolitan Law Group&#8217;s Representation<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Though the store owner had a local business attorney he regularly relied upon, the USDA&#8217;s charges required special knowledge and experience.\u00a0 After a free consultation, the store owner retained Mr. Andrew Z. Tapp of Metropolitan Law Group, PLLC, to defend the store.<\/p>\n<p>Immediately upon being retained, the firm compiled evidence and documents that the USDA\u00a0is required\u00a0to consider before permanently disqualifying the convenience store.\u00a0 To this end, Mr. Tapp and his paralegal worked closely with the store owner, the store&#8217;s employees and customers to compile enough evidence to present the USDA with a full picture of the store&#8217;s operations.\u00a0 Most of the evidence was sent and received through e-mail to reduce cost and save time.\u00a0 In less than thirty days, the firm was able to compile a twenty-seven page response to the USDA&#8217;s letter.<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Dismissal of SNAP Trafficking Charges<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Less than two weeks after the USDA received Mr. Tapp&#8217;s defense of the store owner, the Department retracted the trafficking charges brought against the convenience store.\u00a0 The convenience store stayed in business and the customers were never made aware that anything had occurred.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Answer to Charging Letter For a number of years, a small Pensacola, Florida convenience store operated in a 1,500 square foot space.\u00a0 The store was one of six owned by a local gentleman.\u00a0 Each store operated similarly with a number of flat fee (bulk item) sale prices.\u00a0 Further, the store was located in the middle [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.5 - 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