In a rather unusual punishment, four Bangladeshi-Americans convicted of food stamp fraud were ordered to admit their guilt and warn others not to steal, by placing an ad in a community newspaper.
The ad, both in Bangla and English, appeared on the front-page of Hamtramck’s local newspaper, The Review, and will continue to run for the next three weeks. As per the court order, the ad also includes the names of all four defendants—Ali, Mustak, Nazar and Mohammed Ahmad, who are brothers.
It reads: “To Readers, listen to us. If you cheat on food stamps you are committing federal crime and will be punished for doing so. We know: We have been punished for cheating on food stamps.”
The ad will have to be paid for by the four brothers.
Cheating on food stamps is a federal crime and the Ahmad brothers were convicted of exchanging cash, batteries, cigarettes and phone cards for food stamps at a family store.
The Food Stamp program, now renamed as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, is a federal aid scheme that provides food-purchasing assistance for low- and no-income people living in the United States.
While food stamp fraud cases have gone down in the past years, any new case always grabs headlines. President Trump, too, has been vocal about his dislike for the program as it exists today.
The Ahmad brothers reportedly reaped more than $500,000 through the scheme. One of the brothers, Ali, who was the store owner, was sentenced to nine months in prison and ordered to pay $724,436 in restitution to the government.
The other three brothers were sentenced to one day in prison and each was also ordered to pay restitution ranging from $537,000 to $784,000.
Judge Avern Cohn, who ordered the brothers to publish the ad, told a local news paper: “I want them to be shamed.”
Mohammed Ahmad came to the United States through an immigration lottery, a scheme that President Trump has threatened to abolish.
The brothers are well known in Hamtramck’s Bangladeshi community and many of them have expressed their reaction on social media platforms.
“This is so embarrassing. Why people do that? And now cuz of certain people the whole community has to face embarrassment. And it’s not fair!” wrote Farzana Begum in a Facebook post.
Umm Ansar wrote: “Trust me, in Bangladeshi culture this embarrassment might be worse than serving time. I think the judge knows this.”