Waltham Store Manager Sentenced to Prison

The manager of a Waltham store was sentenced to six months in jail on Wednesday after pleading guilty to EBT fraud, according to the Massachusetts Attorney General's office. 

Hassan Mounajed, 31, of Fall River, pleaded guilty to the following charges during a Wednesday court hearing at Middlesex Superior Court: procurement fraud, conspiracy to commit procurement fraud, larceny by false pretenses, access device fraud over $100 and conspiracy to commit access device fraud, according to the AG's office. Authorities say he was pocketing cash from the program through a simple fraud scheme. 

Judge Kathe Tuttman also ordered Mounajed to serve 44 months of probation upon his release from prison and pay $34,000 in restitution. 

“This defendant exchanged cash for food stamps and undermined the integrity of a system intended to assist those in need,” Attorney General Martha Coakley said in a statement. “Our office is dedicated to working with our federal, state, and local partners to prevent these schemes that defraud the system and the taxpayers.”