http://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/2011/April/22/UCL_foodstamp_laund-22Apr11.html

KINGSTON – The Ulster County Legislature will transfer $25,000 from the county’s Social Services Department to the District Attorney’s Office so it can investigate all sides of a food stamp money laundering ring that authorities broke up last November.

Operators of the Sunoco Convenient Mart on Broadway in Kingston were allegedly skimming 50 percent profit from each food stamp card that was brought in, but they still filed for full reimbursement from the state.

The legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee wants to transfer the money to the DA’s office so it can prosecute those food stamp holders who sold the cards, said committee Chairman Walter Frey.

“We think it’s important to invest this $25,000; we will get about $12,800 back from the federal government to do this investigation, and I think it is important to do this,” he said. “It sends the right message that we will not tolerate this in Ulster County.”

At the time of the store operators’ arrests, authorities said hundreds of thousands of dollars were stolen from state taxpayers through the operation.