BENTON — An Alton corner store is fighting a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) decision banning the retailer from accepting food stamps.
Mohammed Almuttan, owner of Cowboy Supermarket, filed a complaint on Aug. 9 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois against Sonny Purdue, in his capacity as secretary of the agency, alleging he was denied due process.
According to the complaint, the USDA sent a letter to Almuttan earlier this year, accusing him of trafficking in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits and permanently disqualifying him from the program. Almuttan claims he was never given the chance to defend himself in front of a neutral magistrate.
He requests a trial by jury and seeks an order to reinstate the store in the SNAP program. He is represented by Alvin C. Paulson of Alvin C. Paulson, Attorney at Law in Belleville.
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois Case number 3:18-cv-01480-SMY-SCW