Tacoma 杂货店主涉粮食券诈骗潜逃印度后被遣返受审：涉案至少60万美元 曾列 FBI 诈骗通缉名单
美国华盛顿州西区代理联邦检察官 Charles Neil Floyd 宣布，一名 Tacoma 小杂货店店主在印度被移交美国联邦执法人员、返回华盛顿州，将在 Tacoma 的美国联邦地区法院出庭受审。被告 Manjit Bedi，现年64岁，住在华盛顿州 Kent。他被控以电信欺诈等罪名涉粮食券诈骗，于2026年4月22日作无罪答辩后不到一周即逃离美国、前往其出生国印度。
2026年9月3日，Bedi 被列入美国联邦调查局（FBI）新设的「头号诈骗通缉」名单，其照片与案件信息在国际范围发布。印度执法部门随即将其拘押，他被移交联邦执法人员并已抵达华盛顿州西区。代理联邦检察官 Floyd 表示，检方将请求法院在审判前将其羁押，理由是他已表明自己有潜逃的意愿与手段。FBI 局长 Kash Patel 表示，Bedi 是该名单设立三个月以来被抓获的第六人。
起诉书称，Bedi 在 Tacoma 经营一家小杂货店，该店于2024年2月获准接受「补充营养援助计划」（SNAP）福利。起诉书指控，自2024年3月起，Bedi 以五折现金向 SNAP 受助人兑换其电子福利卡（EBT）中的余额，例如在一名受助人的卡上扣账200美元、付给对方100美元现金、自己留下100美元。起诉书称，2024年3月至2025年6月骗局被发现期间，他共套取至少60万美元从未实际售出食品的 SNAP 福利。电信欺诈与 SNAP 福利欺诈每项最高可判20年监禁与25万美元罚款；起诉书仅为指控，他在证明有罪之前推定无罪。
此案由美国农业部监察长办公室（USDA-OIG）、FBI 与华盛顿州社会与卫生服务部调查，司法部国际事务办公室协助将其从印度带回。联邦助理检察官 Victoria Cantore 负责起诉。
Tacoma Store Owner Who Fled to India Returned to Face SNAP Fraud Charges After FBI Most Wanted Listing
Acting United States Attorney Charles Neil Floyd for the Western District of Washington announced that the owner of a small Tacoma market has been returned from India and will appear in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to face charges in an alleged food stamp fraud scheme. Manjit Bedi, 64, of Kent, Washington, pleaded not guilty on April 22, 2026, and within a week had fled the United States to his native India after being indicted for wire fraud in connection with the scheme.
On September 3, 2026, Bedi was added to the FBI's "Most Wanted Fraudster" list, with his image and case information disseminated internationally. Law enforcement in India quickly took Bedi into custody; he was turned over to federal agents and arrived in the Western District of Washington. Acting U.S. Attorney Floyd said prosecutors will ask the court to detain him pending trial, as he has demonstrated the will and the means to flee. FBI Director Kash Patel said Bedi is one of six Most Wanted Fraudsters captured since the creation of the list three months ago, and is charged with defrauding the United States of at least $600,000 in SNAP funds from approximately 2024 to 2025.
According to the indictment, Bedi owned and operated a small grocery store in Tacoma that was authorized in February 2024 to accept Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. Beginning in March 2024, Bedi allegedly agreed to provide SNAP recipients with cash in exchange for money loaded on their electronic benefits cards (EBT) at a rate of 50 cents on the dollar; for example, he would charge $200 against a recipient's card, provide $100 in cash, and keep $100 as profit. The indictment alleges that between March 2024 and June 2025, when the fraud was discovered, Bedi pocketed at least $600,000 in SNAP benefits for food items that were never sold. Both wire fraud and SNAP benefit fraud are punishable by up to twenty years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The charges are only allegations, and Bedi is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General (USDA-OIG), the FBI, and the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS), with assistance from the Department of Justice's Office of International Affairs. Assistant United States Attorney Victoria Cantore is prosecuting the case.
发布：GSM·美国（发布链接）
图片来源：图：位于 Tacoma 的联合车站大楼，现为美国华盛顿州西区联邦地区法院所在地（资料图）。Steve Morgan 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。Photo: Union Station in Tacoma, now a courthouse of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington (file photo). By Steve Morgan, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
GSM Global · 本篇英文版 English edition of this story
