Updated
Updated · FOX 13 Seattle · Sep 5
FBI Offers $150,000 for Tacoma Store Owner in $600,000 SNAP Fraud After Flight to India
Updated
Updated · FOX 13 Seattle · Sep 5

FBI Offers $150,000 for Tacoma Store Owner in $600,000 SNAP Fraud After Flight to India

3 articles · Updated · FOX 13 Seattle · Sep 5

Summary

  • $150,000 is now being offered for Manjit Singh Bedi, a Tacoma grocery store owner the FBI says fled to India after a $600,000 SNAP fraud scheme.
  • Investigators allege Bedi trafficked benefits from March 2024 to June 2025 by swiping EBT cards at his Asian Grocery Store, giving customers cash and keeping half the proceeds.
  • A federal arrest warrant was issued on May 21, 2026 after Bedi, who had been allowed to remain free pending court proceedings, allegedly violated orders to surrender his passport and stay in Washington.
  • The FBI says he drove into Canada before flying to India, widening the case from a local fraud prosecution into an international manhunt.

Insights

How did a Tacoma grocer siphon $600,000 in welfare funds and vanish across international borders without a passport?
What hidden flaws in the EBT system allowed a single store to trade half a million in phantom groceries for cash?
With advanced federal data tracking in place, why did it take over a year to stop this massive food stamp heist?