September 7th, 1981. Hugh Downs introduces Geraldo Rivera’s special on ‘money stamps’, as he investigates the reality of food stamps feeding not just the needy, but the greedy.
“..but whatever else the food stamp program is or is supposed to be, it has also become a subsidy for alleged criminals, like this unsavory group arrested 6 weeks ago…”
We see undercover video of a grocer buying over $100,000 worth of food stamps for $23,000 in cash. Geraldo takes us through the history of food stamps, interviewing the people who benefit from them as well as those who casually steal them, and the more organized criminals who sell them.
The segment closes as we learn that 5 of the people who helped expose the fraud to 20/20 and Geraldo are now under investigation by New York City.
This day, Geraldo’s television history.