LOS ANGELES, Calif.–A South Los Angeles grocer accused of purchasing Electronic Benefit Transfer cards from welfare recipients at cut-rate prices and using them to buy items from other markets to resell at higher prices is scheduled to be arraigned today on four felony counts.
Sabino Reynoso Cedano, 59, faces one count each of food and nutrition benefits fraud, computer access fraud, access card benefits theft and multiple access card theft.
He owns U Market at 6129 S. Normandie Ave. and EPP’s Market at 5900 S. Normandie Ave., according to a spokeswoman for the District Attorney’s Office.
Cedano allegedly bought EBT cards and the welfare recipient’s personal identification number at an amount under the card’s value and used the cards to buy items such as sodas, chips and candy that he re-sold in his markets at higher prices.
The criminal complaint filed Monday alleges that the crimes occurred between August 2010 and this month. He was arrested Aug. 3 by investigators from the District Attorney’s Bureau of Investigation, and released the following day.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Social Services also participated in the investigation.
