Prosecutors: Lakewood Couple Bilked Food Stamp Program Out of $75K

Handcuffs (Shorebeat File Photo/ banspy/ Flickr)

A Lakewood couple are accused of defrauding the state by taking about $75,000 in unqualified benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, program, commonly known as “food stamps.”

Refael Busel, 43, and Rivka Busel, 39, both of Lakewood, were charged with theft by deception and issuing a false financial statement in connection with incidents that occurred between September 2019 and August 2023, prosecutors announced Tuesday. Both suspects were formally charged Oct. 16, 2025.

According to a statement from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, an investigation by the agency’s Economic Crime Squad revealed that between September 2019 and August 2023, Refael and Rivka Busel obtained in excess of $75,000 from the SNAP program, to which they were not entitled. The investigation further disclosed that the Busels “inaccurately reported their household income by not including income from multiple sources in their applications and renewals,” the statement said.

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The couple surrendered themselves at Lakewood Township Police Headquarters on Tuesday. They were processed and served with the charges via summons pending an upcoming first appearance in Ocean County Superior Court. Their photographs were not available.

The Lakewood Township Police Department and Ocean County Board of Social Services assisted in the investigated, the statement said.