Manjit Singh Bedi, an Indian-origin individual, has been placed on the FBI's Most Wanted Fraudsters list for an alleged welfare fraud scheme involving SNAP benefits, where he is accused of exchanging customers' EBT cards for cash at his Washington grocery store, defrauding the government of approximately $600,000, and subsequently fleeing to India after being indicted.

Manjit Singh Bedi, an Indian-origin individual, has been placed on the FBI's Most Wanted Fraudsters list for an alleged welfare fraud scheme involving SNAP benefits, where he is accused of exchanging customers' EBT cards for cash at his Washington grocery store, defrauding the government of approximately $600,000, and subsequently fleeing to India after being indicted.

Manjit Singh Bedi, an Indian-origin individual, has been placed on the FBI's Most Wanted Fraudsters list for an alleged welfare fraud scheme involving SNAP benefits, where he is accused of exchanging customers' EBT cards for cash at his Washington grocery store, defrauding the government of approximately $600,000, and subsequently fleeing to India after being indicted.

The FBI has added Indian Origin Manjit Singh Bedi to its list of Most Wanted Fraudsters over an alleged welfare fraud scheme.

According to the FBI, Manjit Bedi, 65, a naturalised US citizen, operated a small grocery store in Tacoma, Washington. Her reportedly swiped customers' government benefit cards to give them cash instead of food under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

He allegedly swiped their electronic benefit transfer cards and gave them cash, keeping half of the proceeds to himself, the FBI said on Thursday.

The FBO claimed that Bedi defrauded the US government of at least $600k in SNAP funds between March 2024 and June 2025

Bedi’s Asian Grocery Store purportedly sold food to SNAP participants using BT cards.

“These benefits are meant to allow people in a vulnerable state to feed themselves and get proper nutrition,” W. Mike Herrington, special agent in charge of the FBI Seattle field office, told KIRO Newsradio. “If somebody is inducing them to use that for other purposes, taking a portion of those away from them, that leaves those people exposed and hungry.”

"A reward of up to USD 150,000 is offered for information leading to his arrest and conviction," the FBI said.

He reportedly fled the country after being indicted on fraud charges earlier this year. After his indictment, he was permitted to appear in court without being taken into custody due to a lack of criminal history.

He was ordered to surrender his passport and remain in Washington state.

Authorities alleged that Bedi later drove across the U.S.-Canada border and fled to India.

A federal arrest warrant was issued for Bedi in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington, Tacoma, in May 2026 after he was charged with violating the conditions imposed on him.

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