7-Eleven Manager and Employee Arrested After Massive SNAP Fraud Scheme

Two Pittsburgh 7-Eleven workers are accused of turning a downtown convenience store into the center of a massive food stamp fraud scheme that allegedly moved more than half a million dollars in SNAP benefits for cash.

Federal prosecutors say Abdou Jallow, 55, and Alicia Mastrantoni, 39, both of Pittsburgh, were charged with food stamp fraud after investigators accused them of illegally exchanging Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits for cash at the 7-Eleven at 643 Liberty Avenue.

Jallow was the manager of the store, while Mastrantoni worked there as an employee, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania.

Authorities allege the pair exchanged SNAP benefits for cash for customers, some of whom then used that money to buy illegal drugs.

The case is part of the Department of Justice’s 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown, a massive nationwide crackdown that resulted in charges against 455 defendants, including doctors and other licensed medical professionals, in cases involving more than $6.5 billion in alleged false claims.

In Pittsburgh, prosecutors say the alleged scheme exploited a program meant to help families buy food.

“Giving customers cash for their SNAP benefits is against the law and violates the clear rules and regulations of a program designed to provide nutritional assistance to families in need,” U.S. Attorney Troy Rivetti said. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to identify and prosecute individuals who attempt to take advantage of both recipients and taxpayers by compromising the integrity of important public health programs and illegally trafficking SNAP and other government benefits.”

According to federal court documents, the 7-Eleven came under scrutiny after investigators noticed an unusually high number of large SNAP transactions at the store.

Authorities said there were hundreds of individual SNAP transactions over $100, with some exceeding $500. Investigators found that suspicious because the store was a convenience store, not a large grocery store.

The federal complaint says the investigation into the Liberty Avenue 7-Eleven began around June 2022, after the store was flagged for unusually high SNAP activity.

Investigators said the store had a license to accept and redeem food stamps for eligible items, but the transaction patterns raised red flags.

According to the complaint, the store’s owners lived in Virginia, and investigators said they did not find evidence that the owners knew about or were involved in the alleged offenses.

Authorities say Jallow and Mastrantoni allegedly used fake register entries to make the transactions look like legitimate purchases.

The complaint alleges they used a “dummy item” in the cash register system labeled as “face mask” to hide the true nature of the exchanges.

Investigators claim Jallow’s register login was tied to about $572,542.64 in EBT SNAP purchases entered under the “face mask” code from July 2020 through December 2022.

Mastrantoni’s register login was allegedly tied to about $59,066.63 in EBT SNAP purchases entered under the same code from May 2021 through December 2022.

Federal authorities also compared the Liberty Avenue store to another 7-Eleven about two blocks away.

From May 2021 through December 2022, investigators said the target 7-Eleven had about 4,257 SNAP transactions of $50 or more, totaling $700,394.48. The nearby comparison store had just 61 such transactions, totaling $3,717.02.

The difference was even more dramatic for larger transactions. Authorities said the target store had 2,473 SNAP transactions of $100 or more, while the comparison store had none.

Investigators also said the target store had 312 SNAP transactions of $400 or more. The largest SNAP transaction was $804.39 and allegedly happened under Jallow’s register login.

The complaint also describes undercover transactions involving a Pennsylvania State Police trooper.

Between Sept. 21 and Nov. 23, 2022, the undercover trooper allegedly exchanged about $479.76 in EBT SNAP benefits for $240 in cash with Jallow over four transactions. On another occasion, the trooper allegedly exchanged about $100 in EBT SNAP benefits for $50 in cash with Mastrantoni.

In one alleged example, the undercover trooper asked if they could “get 60.” Investigators said Jallow made entries on the register, the trooper swiped an EBT card, and Jallow handed over $30 in cash.

In another alleged transaction, the trooper asked for “one hundred,” and Mastrantoni allegedly handed over $50 in cash after the EBT card was swiped.

Authorities said the alleged pattern showed SNAP benefits being traded at about half value in cash.

Former employees also spoke with investigators, according to the complaint. Two former employees allegedly said they had sold their own personal SNAP benefits to Jallow at the store.

One former employee allegedly told investigators that customers exchanging SNAP benefits for cash were drug addicts who used the money to buy drugs.

The allegations have angered some people who shop at the store.

“How dare you? I’m mad as hell,” frequent customer Sonya Webb told KDKA-TV.

Employees at the store told the station that Jallow and Mastrantoni no longer work there.

Webb said she believes more action should be taken.

“This is my personal opinion: they need to be shut down,” she said. “They need to shut down, period.”

KDKA-TV reported that it reached out to 7-Eleven’s corporate offices for comment but did not receive a response.

The charges against Jallow and Mastrantoni remain allegations, and the case is now moving through federal court.

For prosecutors, the case is being framed as more than a local fraud scheme. They say it is part of a larger national effort to crack down on people accused of abusing government benefit programs and taking advantage of money meant to help families in need.