Daytona Beach convenience store known for food stamp fraud demolished

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — A Daytona Beach convenience store that police said was notorious for food stamp fraud is being gutted.

The owner of 4-M Food Mart on Ridgewood Road has also been accused of buying food stamp cards from people for pennies on the dollar.

Detectives said Bassam Abu-Diab was seen on surveillance video at a Kissimmee Walmart swiping an EBT card that didn’t belong to him.

Detective Scott Frantz said Abu-Diab has been arrested three times on EBT fraud charges.

“He’s currently on probation for this and there he is utilizing a trafficked EBT card to continue on his criminal enterprise,” Frantz said.

Abu-Diab’s son has also been arrested on food stamp fraud charges.

“Every one of us is a victim here in this case. That’s all our money that is being defrauded,” Frantz said. “Hopefully a legitimate business will pop up there as opposed to what’s been going on there over the last several years.”

Daytona Beach police said they are working with police in Kissimmee on the case involving the Walmart video.

WFTV