The owner of Kingdom restaurant on Madison’s north side is facing multiple charges amid a food stamp fraud investigation, the Wisconsin State Journal reports. Mahamadou Tunkara, 57, has allegedly been buying food stamp cards from their recipients for less than their value and using them to purchase restaurant supplies from wholesalers like Gordon Food Service and Costco, according to a criminal complaint filed Wednesday in Dane County Court.
Tunkara’s nine fraud-related charges date back to April 2019 and include:
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Five counts of trafficking food stamps worth over $100 but less than $5,000;
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A Class I felony carrying up to a $10,000 fine and a 3.5-year prison sentence;
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Three counts of public assistance fraud in unauthorized use of vouchers worth between $300 and $1,000;
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A Class B misdemeanor carrying up to a $1,000 fine and 90-day prison sentence; and
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One count of identity theft, a Class H felony carrying up to a $10,000 fine and six-year prison sentence.
