Maryland Shop Owner Sues USDA Over Rule Barring Him From Accepting SNAP
Altimont Wilks, who runs two corner stores in Maryland, says a federal 'business integrity' rule tied to his past convictions unfairly keeps him from serving food-assistance customers.
By Jayden Sweiler ·
A Maryland store owner has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture, challenging a federal policy that prevents him from accepting SNAP benefits, the program formerly known as food stamps.
Altimont Wilks owns Carmen's Corner Store, with locations in Hagerstown and Frederick. He opened the first shop in Hagerstown partly to serve a low-income neighborhood described as a food desert, where he wanted residents to have easier access to affordable meals. Many of his customers depend on SNAP, but because of his criminal record, the USDA says he is not permitted to take the benefits as payment.
Wilks is a convicted felon. As a teenager he joined a gang and was arrested on drug charges several times. In 2004, he was arrested on drug trafficking and gun charges after becoming caught up in a cross-border drug operation running from Maryland to Pennsylvania. He served more than 12 years in prison and was released in 2018, after which he opened his store, naming it for his mother.
According to the complaint, the USDA treats anyone with a prior alcohol, drug, tobacco or firearm offense as lacking the "business integrity" needed to accept SNAP as payment. Wilks is asking the court to force a change to that rule.
"If you ask the average person if they'd rather be a legitimate business person or a lowly drug dealer, I'm pretty sure they'd say, a legitimate business person," Wilks said. "And that's what we need. But without the resources and the level playing field, entrepreneurs like myself don't stand a chance."
Jared McClain, an attorney with the Institute for Justice, said the rule works against the very communities Congress meant to help. "The business integrity rule hurts the low-income communities that Congress intended to help," he said. McClain added that Wilks opened the store to provide local groceries at a convenient neighborhood location, and that being unable to sell those groceries to SNAP recipients harms not only Wilks but the community as well.
Separately, Maryland Congressman David Trone has introduced a bipartisan measure called the SNAP Second Chance Act. The bill would bar the USDA from imposing these kinds of restrictions.
Source: FOX 5 Atlanta
