Pittsburgh Woman Sentenced and Ordered to Pay Over $54,000 in Restitution for SNAP Trafficking at Her African Food Store

PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was sentenced in federal court on March 4, 2026, to two years of probation, including 90 days of home confinement, and ordered to pay over $54,000 in restitution on her conviction of food stamp fraud, United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.

United States District Judge Marilyn J. Horan imposed the sentence on Bolaji Michael, 46, who pleaded guilty on October 7, 2025, to one count of food stamp fraud.

According to information presented to the Court, Michael owned and operated an African food market where she knowingly allowed individuals to exchange their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or food stamp, benefits for cash. SNAP benefits may only be used to purchase eligible food items and cannot be exchanged for cash. In addition to exchanging SNAP benefits for cash herself, Michael also authorized others at her store to make such exchanges, despite knowing that doing so was a violation of the SNAP program's rules and regulations. The monetary loss associated with Michael's conduct for the charged timeframe totaled $54,996.05.

Assistant United States Attorney Nicole A. Stockey prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

United States Attorney Rivetti commended the United States Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General, Homeland Security Investigations, and Pennsylvania State Police Organized Crime Unit West for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Michael.