WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) - A Massachusetts businesswoman has been sentenced to eight months in prison for defrauding the federal government of nearly $300,000 in a cash-for-food stamps scheme.
Esther Acquaye, who owned Esther’s Fashion Paradise in Worcester, was also sentenced Wednesday to three years of probation and ordered to pay about $285,000 in restitution.
Federal prosecutors say the 49-year-old Acquaye paid some customers 50 cents for every Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program dollar and received the full value of the benefits from the government.
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The Telegram & Gazette reports that she was also rebuked by a federal prosecutor who admonished her for involving her minor son in the scheme.
The government argued for a longer sentence, while Acquaye’s defense argued unsuccessfully for home arrest.
Acquaye’s attorney called the sentence “very fair.”
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Information from: Telegram & Gazette (Worcester, Mass.), http://www.telegram.com
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