South Brunswick Store Owner Charged in Food Stamp Fraud

A township man was charged last week for the misappropriation of benefit funds through a convenience store he owns in the Somerset section of Franklin Township.

Kelly Evans, 43, of Monmouth Junction, is facing charges for theft by deception in the third degree and falsifying or tampering with records in the fourth degree following an alleged scheme to steal funds through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. 

An investigation by the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Special Investigations Unit began after authorities were tipped off to allegations surrounding the misappropriation of state funds at the “Our Neighborhood Store” (ONS) convenience store in Franklin. The business was opened in 2010 by Evans and Kelly Williams, according to the prosecutor's office. 

Authorities said the store’s owners had received large unexplained wire transfers as a vendor participant in the SNAP program from a bank account that was maintained by the State of New Jersey. In order to administer the program's benefits to qualified individuals, EBT cards (food stamps) are issued through the Department of Agriculture.

As part of the investigation, undercover officers took EBT cards to “ONS” multiple times to purchase food items. Authorities said that Evans was "debiting other customer’s EBT cards in exchange for a percentage of cash value rather than actual food items." 

Evans then kept the remaining cash value of the EBT cards as a profit, which was transferred from the State of New Jersey to his company's bank account, according to the prosecutor's office. Evans was also observed allegedly allowing non-food items to be purchased with EBT cards from his store, which is in violation of the vendor agreement to accept SNAP benefit payments. 

Evans was lodged in the Somerset County Jail in lieu of  $20,000 bail with a 10 percent option.