Ohio Journalist Exposes Alleged Somalian EBT Scam Fueling Cash Businesses [WATCH]
An independent journalist in Ohio has released a video investigation alleging extensive fraud schemes involving the misuse of Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) benefits within parts of the state’s Somali community, adding to broader scrutiny of welfare programs and oversight failures.
The investigation, shared widely on social media and posted on X by the account @WallStreetApes, centers on neighborhoods in Columbus, Ohio.
In the video, the journalist documents what he describes as a pattern in which Somali-owned restaurants are closely connected to grocery stores, allowing welfare benefits intended for household food purchases to be redirected into commercial operations.
The journalist is shown touring multiple areas of Columbus while explaining how the alleged scheme operates.
“Every single Somali restaurant has a grocery store right next door or within eye shot of the restaurant,” he said in the video.
“They can just order everything they need to their grocery store that’s right next or attached to the restaurant that they also own and never have to fill a single cart.”
According to the journalist, these grocery stores are able to process EBT transactions for bulk food purchases, which are then used to supply the adjacent restaurants.
He further alleged that the grocery stores often report significant annual losses, which can be used as tax write-offs, while the restaurants operate largely in cash.
The arrangement, he claimed, allows government-funded food supplies to subsidize private businesses while minimizing tax exposure.
The investigation also focused on family structures within the community, particularly polygamous marriages, which the journalist said can increase access to public assistance.
He alleged that multiple wives are able to claim benefits individually as single mothers, significantly expanding the total amount of welfare payments received by a single household
“If you have two or three wives that don’t claim, these women can go work at Wal-Mart full time for $15 an hour and still qualify for food stamps as long as they have a couple kids,” the journalist said.
The journalist referenced Minnesota as a comparison point, stating that 88 percent of the Somali community there is reportedly on social services.
He suggested that similar patterns of fraud could be present in Ohio, particularly in Columbus, which is home to one of the largest Somali populations in the United States.
The video builds on earlier reporting by Columbus resident Nakia Deon, who previously drew attention to similar allegations in a video posted on X.
Deon described Somali men owning markets where their wives allegedly used EBT cards almost exclusively, raising questions about hidden polygamous marriages, welfare abuse, and money laundering.
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