(a) Benefits as obligations. Pursuant to section 15(d) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, benefits are an obligation of the United States within the meaning of 18 United States Code (U.S.C.) 8. The provisions of Title 18 of the United States Code, “Crimes and Criminal Procedure,” relative to counterfeiting, misuse and alteration of obligations of the United States are applicable to benefits and EBT cards.

(b) Penalties. Any unauthorized issuance, redemption, use, transfer, acquisition, alteration, or possession of benefits, EBT cards, or other program access device may subject an individual, partnership, corporation, or other legal entity to prosecution under sections 15 (b) and (c) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 or under any other applicable Federal, State or local law, regulation or ordinance.

(c) Security for benefits and EBT cards. All individuals, partnerships, corporations, or other legal entities including State agencies and their delegatees (referred to in this paragraph as “persons”) having custody, care and control of benefits and EBT cards shall, at all times, take all precautions necessary to avoid acceptance, transfer, negotiation, or use of spurious, altered, or counterfeit benefits and EBT cards and to avoid any unauthorized use, transfer, acquisition, alteration or possession of benefits and EBT cards. These persons shall safeguard benefits and EBT cards from theft, embezzlement, loss, damage, or destruction.

(d) Benefit issuers. (1) Any benefit issuer or any officer, employee or agent, thereof convicted of failing to provide the monthly reports required in § 274.5 or convicted of violating part 274 shall be subject to a fine of not more than $1,000, or imprisoned for not more than 1 year, or both.

(2) Any benefit issuer or any officer, employee or agent, thereof convicted of knowingly providing false information in the reports required under § 274.5 shall be subject to a fine of not more than $10,000, or imprisoned not more than 5 years, or both.

(e) Forfeiture and denial of property rights—(1) General. (i) Any nonfood items, moneys, negotiable instruments, securities, or other things of value furnished or intended to be furnished by any person in exchange for food benefits, authorization cards, or other program benefit instruments or access devices in any manner not authorized by the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 or regulations issued pursuant to the Act, shall be subject to forfeiture and denial of property rights. Such property is deemed forfeited to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) at the time it is either exchanged or offered in exchange.

(ii) These forfeiture and denial of property rights provisions shall apply to property exchanged or offered in exchange during investigations conducted by the Inspector General, USDA, and by other authorized Federal law enforcement agencies.

(iii) These forfeiture and denial of property rights provisions shall not apply to property exchanged or intended to be exchanged during the course of internal investigations by retail firms, during investigations conducted solely by State and local law enforcement agencies and without the participation of an authorized Federal law enforcement agency, or during compliance investigations conducted by the Food and Nutrition Service.

(2) Custodians and their responsibilities. (i) The Inspector General, USDA, the Inspector General's designee, and other authorized Federal law enforcement officials shall be custodians of property acquired during investigations.

(ii) Upon receiving property subject to forfeiture the custodian shall:

(A) Place the property in an appropriate location for storage and safekeeping, or

(B) Request that the General Services Administration (GSA) take possession of the property and remove it to an appropriate location for storage and safekeeping.

(iii) The custodian shall store property received at a location in the judicial district where the property was acquired unless good cause exists to store the property elsewhere.

(iv) Custodians shall not dispose of property prior to the fulfillment of the notice requirements set out in paragraph 3, or prior to the conclusion of any related administrative, civil, or criminal proceeding, without reasonable cause. Reasonable cause to dispense with notice requirements might exist, for example, where explosive materials are being stored which may present a danger to persons or property.

(v) Custodians may dispose of any property in accordance with applicable statutes or regulations relative to disposition. The custodian may:

(A) Retain the property for official use;

(B) Donate the property to Federal, State, or local government facilities such as hospitals or to any nonprofit charitable organizations recognized as such under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code; or

(C) Request that GSA take custody of the property and remove it for disposition or sale.

(vi) Proceeds from the sale of forfeited property and any moneys forfeited shall be used to pay all proper expenses of the proceedings for forfeiture and sale including expenses of seizure, maintenance of custody, transportation costs, and any recording fees. Moneys remaining after payment of such expenses shall be deposited into the general fund of the United States Treasury.

(3) Notice requirements. (i) The custodian shall make reasonable efforts to notify the actual or apparent owner(s) of or person(s) with possessory interests in the property subject to forfeiture except for the good cause exception if the owner cannot be notified.

(ii) The notice shall:

(A) Include a brief description of the property;

(B) Inform the actual or apparent owner(s) of or person(s) with possessory interests in the property subject to forfeiture of the opportunity to request an administrative review of the forfeiture;

(C) Inform the actual or apparent owner(s) of or person(s) with possessory interests in the property subject to forfeiture of the requirements for requesting administrative review of the forfeiture; and

(D) State the title and address of the official to whom a request for administrative review of the forfeiture may be addressed.

(iii) Except as provided in paragraphs (e)(3) (iv) and (v) of this section, notice shall be given within 45 days from the date the United States convicts, acquits, or declines to act against the person who exchanged the property.

(iv) Notice may be delayed if it is determined that such action is likely to endanger the safety of a law enforcement official or compromise another ongoing criminal investigation conducted by OIG, the United States Secret Service, the United States Postal Inspection Service, or other authorized Federal law enforcement agency.

(v) Notice need not be given to the general public.

(4) Administrative review. (i) The actual or apparent owner(s) of or person(s) with possessory interests in the property shall have 30 days from the date of the delivery of the notice of forfeiture to make a request for an administrative review of the forfeiture.

(ii) The request shall be made in writing to the Assistant Inspector General for Investigations, Office of Inspector General, USDA, or to his/her designee, hereinafter referred to as the reviewing official.

(iii) A request for an administrative review of the forfeiture of property shall include the following:

(A) A complete description of the property, including serial numbers, if any;

(B) Proof of the person's property interest in the property; and,

(C) The reason(s) the property should not be forfeited.

(iv) The requestor may, at the time of his/her written request for administrative review, also request an oral hearing of the reasons the property should not be forfeited.

(v) The burden of proof will rest upon the requestor, who shall be required to demonstrate, by a preponderance of the evidence, that the property should not be forfeited.

(vi) Should the administrative determination be in their favor, the actual or apparent owner(s) of or person(s) with possessory interests in the property subject to forfeiture may request that forfeited items be returned or that compensation be made if the custodian has already disposed of the property.

(vii) The reviewing official shall not remit or mitigate a forfeiture unless the requestor:

(A) Establishes a valid, good faith property interest in the property as owner or otherwise; and

(B) Establishes that the requestor at no time had any knowledge or reason to believe that the property was being or would be used in violation of the law; and

(C) Establishes that the requestor at no time had any knowledge or reason to believe that the owner had any record or reputation for violating laws of the United States or of any State for related crimes.

(viii) The reviewing official may postpone any decision until the conclusion of any related administrative, civil, or criminal proceeding.

(ix) The decision of the reviewing official as to the disposition of the property shall be the final agency determination for purposes of judicial review.