Tacoma Grocery Store Owner Wanted in $600,000 SNAP Fraud Case Returned to US After Arrest in India

A man accused of running a $600,000 food stamp fraud scheme out of a Tacoma grocery store has been brought back to the United States after being arrested in India, FBI Director Kash Patel announced.

Manjit Singh Bedi, who had been placed on the FBI’s Most Wanted Fraudsters list, faced federal charges connected to an alleged scheme involving the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, at an Asian grocery store he operated in Tacoma.

Patel announced the return on X, writing, “BACK IN THE U.S. – Manjit Singh Bedi, one of the FBI’s Most Wanted Fraudsters, arrested in September in India.”

According to federal officials, Bedi defrauded the government of at least $600,000 between March 2024 and June 2025 through the scheme at his Tacoma store. The FBI alleges Bedi swiped SNAP recipients’ Electronic Benefit Transfer cards, handed out cash instead of letting customers buy eligible food, and pocketed roughly half of the benefits for himself.

After being indicted in the case, Bedi allegedly drove to Canada before fleeing further to India. A federal arrest warrant charging him with violating the conditions of his release was issued on May 21, 2026.

Bedi, a naturalized U.S. citizen, had been the subject of an FBI reward of up to $150,000 for information leading to his arrest and conviction.

Patel said Bedi is now the sixth fugitive captured through the FBI’s Most Wanted Fraudsters program since the list was launched three months ago, calling it “another significant moment” for the initiative.

The director also pointed to broader gains in returning fugitives to the country, crediting cooperation with foreign law enforcement agencies.

“This is the latest in an unprecedented stretch of success in bringing high-value targets back to the United States through strong partnerships with our foreign law enforcement counterparts,” Patel said. “Over the past 20 months, we’ve secured 260 extraditions and removals — an increase of more than 70% compared to the previous 20-month period.”

Patel said Bedi will now face justice in the United States, thanking the agency’s international partners for their help in the case.