Kaher Abdullah will be sentenced in September for stealing $1.2 million in SNAP benefits.
CAMDEN -- It was a good deal, albeit an illegal one, for Kaher Abdullah.
The Philadelphia man, the owner of a small convenience store in Camden, admitted in federal court Monday that he stole more than $1.2 million in food stamp payments by paying cash for them, 50 cents on the dollar.
Abdullah, 57, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Joseph Rodriguez to a charge of theft of government funds.
According to the office of U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman, Abudullah owned the Express Food Mart on South Broadway that was authorized to accept SNAP benefits, formerly known as food stamps, from November 2011 until about October 2014.
According to prosecutors, the volume of SNAP redemptions, $1.2 million over the three-year period, "substantially exceeded" the estimates for businesses of similar size, attracting the attention of government auditors.
Mail carrier admits stealing IRS checks
According to the court document charging him, Abdullah accepted an offer by a customer -- an undercover law enforcement agent -- who asked to exchange $99.99 in SNAP benefits for $50 cash in April of 2014.
Later that year, a second customer asked to exchange $299.99 in SNAP benefits for $150 in cash, which he also accepted, records show.
The total amount of SNAP benefits that he collected to which he was not entitled was $1,264,006, court records said.
The count of theft of government funds carries a maximum penalty of 10 years and prison and a fine. Abdullah also agreed to forfeit the $1.2 million, according to Fishman's office.
He is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 13, it said.
Fishman credited special agents of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General, and the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations for the investigation leading to the guilty plea.
Tim Darragh may be reached at tdarragh@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @timdarragh. Find NJ.com on Facebook.