BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The corner store owner whose saga was followed closely by people in the Lovejoy neighborhood was sentenced Friday to spend six months in jail, and could yet face deportation to his native Yemen.
Ahmed Alshami, owner of the now-shuttered IGA Community Express Mart on Ludington Street in Buffalo, was also sentenced to five months probation for welfare fraud and five months probation for burglary. He also owes $3,811.66 in restitution on the welfare fraud count.
Alshami, 37, admitted he bought food stamps from people, often at half-value, buying groceries and other goods at supermarkets to stock the shelves of his Lovejoy deli, once purported to operate as a hub of crime. The store was shut down months back after the city revoked its license for selling untaxed cigarettes and secondhand merchandise.
Through several court appearances, the Alshami family had remained defiant, claiming they were victims of a vendetta.
There remains a possibility Alshami is sent back to the war-torn country in the Middle East. That is up to the Department of Homeland Security.