[Weasel Zippers] Federal agents raid a Portland market, suspecting the owner was committing widespread welfare fraud.The affidavit that led to that raid at Ahram Market was recently unsealed.
The 52-page affididavit that NEWS CENTER was first made aware of this afternoon indicates that Ali Ratib Daham, the owner of the Ahram Halal Market on Forest Avenue, is being investigated for massive fraud, amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
According to the affidavit signed by FBI special agent Richard Pires -- the feds were tipped off because the market had unusually high sales from SNAP benefits -- commonly known as food stamps.
According to the FBI, a cooperating witness, referred to as a "CW" in the affadavit, told Daham that he was new to town. At that point, Daham told him how to get more benefits by pretending not to know English and telling the government that he wanted to go to school. That way, he could get benefits without working.
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