(a)  Any person who by any fraudulent device obtains, or attempts to obtain, or aids or abets any person to obtain, food stamps issued pursuant to the Food Stamp Act of 1964, as amended, 7 U.S.C. § 2011 et seq., shall be guilty of larceny, and upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by imprisonment of not more than five (5) years or by fine of not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000), or both, if the value of the food stamps to which one is not entitled shall exceed five hundred dollars ($500); or by imprisonment by less than one year or by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars ($500), or both, if the value of the food stamps to which one is not entitled, shall not exceed five hundred dollars ($500).

Terms Used In Rhode Island General Laws 40-6-16

  • Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
  • person: may be construed to extend to and include co-partnerships and bodies corporate and politic. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-6

(b)  Upon conviction of the felony or misdemeanor, the individual shall be ineligible to participate in the food stamp program for not less than six (6) and not more than twenty-four (24) months, as determined by the court; provided, that the disqualification applies only to the individual so convicted and does not render the entire household ineligible for the program.

History of Section.
P.L. 1987, ch. 118, art. 13, § 2; P.L. 2006, ch. 216, § 17.