PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — United States Attorney Zachary Cunha said that a Dominican national unlawfully in the United States was sentenced for participation in a conspiracy that defrauded the USDA Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program of more than $213,000 in benefits as well as possession of an illegal firearm. 41-year-old Giomar Lopez Meireles was charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, illegal acquisition or use of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, and unlawful possession of a firearm. He was sentenced to 24 months of incarceration to be followed by three years of federal supervised release. Cunha said the court also ordered the defendant to pay restitution in the amount of $213,397 to the Rhode Island Department of Human Services, which administers federal SNAP benefits in Rhode Island. Cunha said Lopez Meireles conspired with others as part of a scheme that used stolen identities and social security numbers to submit fraudulent applications for SNAP benefits in the form of EBT cards. He would either use the cards to make purchases for himself, or would sell them to others. The fraudulent applications were submitted between about September 2021 to November 2023 and resulted in approximately $213,397 in benefits being issued. Cunha said a search of Lopez Meireles’ resulted in the seizure of multiple cards as well as a 9mm pistol. Categories: News, Providence, Rhode Island