LAKE CHARLES – Two Lake Charles brothers will do prison time and make restitution for a food stamp scheme that took the federal government for $2.7 million.

U.S. District Judge Patricia Minaldi gave Craig M. Nash a six-and-a-half year prison term and ordered him to pay $1.7 million in restitution. She imposed a six-month prison term on Hillary Nash, III and ordered him to pay $62,515 in restitution.

The brothers’ sister, Rosalyn Mary Hilliard, was given probation.

All were indicted in May 2011 on 26 counts of conspiracy, wire fraud and food stamp fraud.

Craig Nash owned Goodfellas and Goodfellas II stores. His siblings each worked at the stores.

Minaldi told Nash the money he took “was intended to help people who are unable to provide food for their families and you took money ... and traded it for cash, sometimes for 50 percent profit.”

The court found that the Nashes used the money to buy luxury cars.

U.S. Attorney Stephanie Finley said Craig Nash did not intend to defraud the government when he opened his store but was considered the ringleader of the scheme.

“It (the fraud) began shortly after he started participating in the food stamp program. He initially got a civil sanction,” she said.