AUBURN — Two men charged with welfare fraud were in court Thursday, one to deny a theft charge and the other to admit to theft.

Andre A. Beaupre, 61, of 95 High St., owner of Union Super Market at Oak and Union streets in Lewiston, pleaded not guilty in Androscoggin County Superior Court to a felony charge of theft by deception.

Police said in court papers that he fraudulently accepted payments from the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP (formerly food stamps).

Beaupre allowed some of his regular customers to buy products such as cigarettes and liquor with their SNAP benefits, which does not allow purchase of those items, police said. By letting his customers make the fraudulent purchases, Beaupre gave himself an advantage over other stores that accept SNAP benefits for allowable items.

An Androscoggin County grand jury indictment said Beaupre engaged in the fraudulent practice from June 2006 through September 2011.

He remained free on his own recognizance after his court appearance.

Also in court Thursday was Robert W. Baylor, 35, of 128 Campus Ave., Lewiston. He pleaded guilty to a single count of theft by deception, a felony punishable by up to five years in prison.

In a plea agreement with prosecutors, Baylor agreed to a sentence of one year in jail with all but 30 days suspended. He also agreed to one year of probation.

Because Baylor has a job with the Maine People’s Alliance, a judge allowed Baylor to postpone serving his sentence until October, as long as he abides by the terms of his probation.

Active-Retired Justice Robert Clifford also ordered Baylor to pay $2,800 in restitution to the Department of Health and Human Services, either by himself or jointly with a co-defendant who was reportedly involved in the fraud scheme.

Assistant Attorney General Darcy Mitchell told Clifford that, had the case gone to trial, she would have shown that Baylor sold his electronic benefits card (EBT) that contained $200 in monthly SNAP benefits to someone not entitled to use his card for $100 per month between January 2010 and March 2011.

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