DETROIT — A total of 11 people have been arrested in a recent sweep including one store owner from Dearborn, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan Barbara McQuade announced on Wednesday. 

The U.S. government has begun focusing more on alleged cases of food stamp fraud during which the stamps can be exchanged for everything from furniture to appliances or even cash at a 50% exchange rate at one location. 

Owners of the following stores have been arrested, including numerous Arab Americans; they are Dollar City, Dollar & Party, H&J Fish Market, Caesar Food Center, King Cole Foods and 30th Street Food Market in Detroit; Dollar Palace in Inkster, and Country Farm Market in Pontiac were also involved in arrests.  The owner of H&J, Jihad “Jim” Sayed, was among those arrested. 

“Taxpayers in Michigan fund the food stamp program to provide food for the needy, not to create a commodity to be traded for profit,” McQuade said in local news reports.