Store owner and employee charged with trafficking food stamps

The owner of a Williamson Street gas station and convenience store and one of his employees have been charged with knowingly trafficking food stamps, a felony, and public assistance fraud, a misdemeanor, according to a Wisconsin State Journal report. The criminal complaint filed in Dane County Circuit Court alleges FoodShare cards were purchased from legitimate recipients and used to buy bulk merchandise to sell at the store. Mavi Kuldip Singh, 64, the owner of Willy Street Mini Mart at 1130 Williamson St. allegedly purchased the balance of FoodShare cards from people who came to the store. One card recipient told investigators Singh paid less than 50 cents on the dollar for the balance on the cards. Singh’s employee, Jeff D. Joe, 68, of Madison, faces the same charges but at a lesser degree for the food stamp trafficking charge.