Restitution paid for illegal food stamp trafficking in Salinas

Two Central Coast residents have paid $100,000 in restitution fees after participating in illegal food stamp trafficking.

68-year-old Kim Hui Young and 56-year-old Seong Uk Kang, employees of Salinas Corner Market paid the restitution fees to the Department of Social Services.

Young and Kang each pled guilty to felony charges for illegal redemption of CalFresh (also known as food stamps or welfare) benefits earlier this year and were placed on three years of formal felony probation and ordered to serve 120 days in jail. The case was then set for a restitution hearing.

Stores like Corner Market are licensed with California to redeem Electronic Benefit Transactions (EBT) and must comply with program rules. CalFresh benefits are administered via EBT cards. Young and Kang defrauded the program out of thousands of dollars of illegal redemptions by allowing benefit recipients to exchange their CalFresh benefits for cash and other ineligible items.

It is illegal to redeem CalFresh benefits for cash as well as to purchase ineligible items such as alcohol, tobacco products, and other nonfood items. The Monterey County Department of Social Services along with the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office maintain a Welfare Fraud tip line. If you have information regarding welfare fraud you can leave an anonymous tip at (831)755-3224