Manjit Singh Bedi returned from India to face $600K SNAP fraud charges

Manjit Singh Bedi, a 64-year-old grocery store operator from Kent, Washington, has been returned to the United States from India to face federal charges related to a massive food assistance fraud scheme.

Bedi, who operated the Asian Grocery Store in Tacoma, is accused of diverting at least $600,000 from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) between March 2024 and June 2025. According to the indictment, Bedi allegedly offered SNAP recipients cash in exchange for the funds on their Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards at a rate of 50 cents on the dollar. This allowed him to pocket the remaining balance while providing no actual food to the beneficiaries.

After being indicted, Bedi allegedly violated court-ordered travel restrictions by crossing into Canada and subsequently fleeing to India. His arrest in India followed his addition to the FBI’s ‘Most Wanted Fraudsters’ list in September. U.S. prosecutors have indicated they will seek his detention pending trial, citing his previous attempt to flee the country.