A Chicago police officer was among several convenience store owners hit with federal fraud charges this week alleging they swindled a low-income food program for women and children by charging for unauthorized items.

       Hassan Abdellatif, 33, also known as “Eric,” was charged with wire fraud in an indictment filed last month and made public Friday in U.S. District Court.

       The indictment also charges Abdellatif with two tax offenses for allegedly willfully failing to file two years of corporate tax returns for one of his grocery businesses.

       Abdellatif’s rank with the Chicago Police Department was listed as officer and his salary was $76,266 as of March, according to the city’s website.

       Abdellatif was arrested Wednesday and pleaded not guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey Cole, who set a $150,000 bond that the officer paid via cashier’s check, court records show.

       Abdellatif’s lawyer, Matthew McQuaid, said his client “did not commit fraud or steal WIC funds” and that he would challenge the accusations in court.

       Most of the defendants made their initial appearances Wednesday in federal court in Chicago.

       The charges alleged Andellatif and other store owners and staffers fraudulently redeemed checks from the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children or WIC, a federally funded program to help provide a nutritious diet for low-income infants, children and women.

       The defendants allegedly knowingly allowed customers to provide their WIC checks as payment for ineligible items at stores, often at inflated prices.

       According to the indictment, from 2010 and 2016, Abdellatif redeemed about $3.8 million total in WIC-related checks at two markets he owned, El Milagro Mini Market in the 3000 block of West Montrose Avenue and Harding Grocery in the 3900 block of West Grand Avenue.

       The indictment did not indicate how much of the $3.8 million was believed to be fraudulently obtained.

       Other store owners charged include Hamdan Hamdan, also known as “Tony,” 32, of Chicago, owner of La Villita Food Market in Chicago; and Ehab Khraiwish, 27, of Tinley Park, owner of Mercado La Estrella in Elgin.

       Also charged were a number of store employees, including Waleed Khrawish, also known as “Wally,” 34, of Melrose Park, who worked at a convenience store in Melrose Park; Alaa Hamdan, 35, of Chicago, who worked at Supermercado El Grande in Addison; Ersely Arita-Mejia, 39, of Arlington Heights, who worked at Star Mini Market in Mt. Prospect; Fortino Hernandez, 38, of Addison, who worked at Supermercado El Grande in Addison; Jehad Khrawish 24, of Chicago, who worked at a convenience store in Melrose Park; and Marisol Zavala, 29, of McHenry, who worked at a convenience store in Elgin.

       According to the indictment, most of the nine stores listed in the indictment redeemed millions of dollars in WIC checks.

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