A Noble man faces up to 20 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to stealing more than $212,000 in food assistance benefits through a fake farmers market.
Steven Eugene Melton Jr., 41, pleaded guilty on Nov. 2 to theft of government property and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits fraud, U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester announced on Friday, Nov. 6. The case was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma.
Melton applied in June 2023 to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service for authorization to accept SNAP benefits at a purported farmers market called Wrights Farms, according to the press release. He used the name, date of birth and Social Security number of another person who had no involvement in the scheme.
The Food and Nutrition Service approved the application on June 6, 2023.
Between June 2023 and May 2024, Wrights Farms processed approximately $212,194.58 in SNAP benefits from fraudulent accounts that Melton obtained using fake or altered identification cards, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Melton admitted he converted the SNAP benefits for his own personal use.
A federal grand jury charged Melton on May 19 with theft of government property and SNAP benefits fraud. He pleaded guilty about five and a half months later.
The USDA Office of Inspector General and the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General investigated the case. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Krista Hodges-Eckhoff is prosecuting.
The announcement did not specify a sentencing date. Melton faces up to 20 years in federal prison at sentencing.
The Norman Transcript also reported on the guilty plea.
