TACOMA, Wash. A 64-year-old Kent man who fled the country after being indicted in a federal food assistance fraud scheme is back in western Washington following his extradition from India, FOX 13 Seattle reported.
Manjit Bedi appeared in U.S. District Court in Tacoma on Friday. Bedi, who owned and operated a small market in Tacoma, is accused of converting federal food assistance dollars into cash for personal profit.
According to federal court documents, Bedi's market received authorization to process Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits in February 2024, and investigators allege he began running an illegal cash-for-benefits operation just one month later. Acting U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd said the activity amounted to about $600,000 in taxpayer money that would normally go to the neediest people in the community.
Prosecutors said Bedi allowed SNAP recipients to swipe their Electronic Benefit Transfer cards at his store, paying out cash at roughly 50 cents on the dollar and keeping the rest as profit for food items that were never sold. John Walk, inspector general of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said Bedi unlawfully converted benefits meant to provide food to the needy and pocketed the money for himself.
Immigration records show Bedi entered the United States on a visitor visa in 2010, became a lawful permanent resident in 2016 and was naturalized in January 2025. Federal officials emphasized that he was actively committing the fraud while his citizenship application was under review, and Floyd said he continued the scheme until June 2025.
A federal grand jury indicted Bedi on wire fraud charges on April 1, 2026. He pleaded not guilty on April 22, and four days later authorities say he fled the United States, traveling through Canada before returning to his native India.
The FBI placed Bedi on its newly established Most Wanted Fraudsters list on Sept. 3, circulating his image and case details internationally, including media releases in India published in Punjabi and Hindi. Public tips quickly led Indian law enforcement and Punjab state police to his location. He was taken into custody and turned over to federal agents, landing in New York on Oct. 14 before being transferred to the Federal Detention Center in Tacoma. Mike Herrington, special agent in charge of the FBI Seattle Field Office, said there is not a place where the bureau's wanted posters cannot reach.
Both wire fraud and SNAP benefit fraud carry maximum penalties of up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Authorities said the investigation remains active and that additional charges could be filed against anyone who helped Bedi operate the scheme or escape the country.