Schenectady Man Sentenced for Food Stamp Fraud and Drug Distribution

A Schenectady man has been sentenced to 12 months in prison after pleading guilty to charges of food stamp fraud and distributing controlled substances from his family-owned deli.

Omar Alaidrus, 24, admitted to exchanging fentanyl for food stamps at the deli and conducting other fraudulent transactions, including exchanging food stamps for cash and redeeming them for prohibited items such as Xanax, alcohol, and tobacco.

Senior U.S. District Judge Lawrence E. Kahn sentenced Alaidrus to one year in prison and imposed a three-year term of supervised release. Alaidrus was also ordered to pay $316,975 in restitution to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service.

The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of the Inspector General (USDA-OIG), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the New York State Police, and local law enforcement agencies in Schenectady. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan S. Reiner prosecuted the case.

Authorities emphasized that combating food stamp fraud is essential to preserving the integrity of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which supports low-income individuals and families.