Date: 03-15-2021

Case Style:

Case Number: 1:20-cr-00002-SLH

Judge: Stephanie L. Haines

Court: United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania (Erie County)

Plaintiff's Attorney: United States District Attorney’s Office

Defendant's Attorney:

Criminal Defense Lawyer Directory

Description: Erie, Pennsylvania conspiracy to defraud the United States criminal defense lawyer represented Defendant, Laith Kadhem, 36, and Haydar Al-Kofi who were charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States.

From in and around March 2016 to in and around September 2017, Kadhem, who was the owner and operator of Anwar Fresh Meat Market in Erie and a co-defendant, Haydar Al-Kofi, who was the manager and partner working at Anwar Fresh Meat Market, conspired to defraud the United States by filing an application containing false information for a license to accept SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits and accepting food stamps for cash, and ineligible items.

Assistant United States Attorney Paul S. Sellers is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

This case was investigated as part of the Pittsburgh Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force (DBFTF), a multi-agency partnership established to focus on high-impact criminal investigations involving the use of fraudulent documents in furtherance of immigrations benefit applications and petitions, financial fraud, criminal work-site enforcement, and public benefits fraud. The Pittsburgh DBFTF consists of the following agencies: Homeland Security Investigations, US Citizenship and Immigration Services, the Social Security Administration-Office of the Inspector General, the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations, US Department of State-Diplomatic Security Service, US Department of Agriculture- Office of the Inspector General, US Department of Labor- Office of the Inspector General, and the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General.

18 USC 371- CONSPIRACY TO DEFRAUD THE UNITED STATES
(1)
7 USC 2024(b) - FOOD STAMP FRAUD
(4-5)

Outcome: 03/09/2021 56 HIGHLY SENSITIVE DOCUMENT as to LAITH KADHEM. HSD category: SUP. (dlg) (Entered: 03/09/2021)
03/09/2021 57 PRESENTENCE ORDER as to LAITH KADHEM: Tentative Presentence Report due by 5/21/2021. Presentence Report due by 6/11/2021. Position with Respect to Sentencing Factors due by 6/18/2021. Presentence Report Addendum due to this Court, defendant and counsel by 7/2/2021. Supplemental Information or Memorandum with Respect to Sentencing due by 7/9/2021. Sentencing is set for 7/16/2021, at 11:00 AM in Courtroom C, Erie Courthouse, Erie, Pennsylvania before Judge Stephanie L. Haines. Signed by Judge Stephanie L. Haines on 3/9/2021. (dlg) (Entered: 03/09/2021)

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Defendant's Experts:

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