ABC News is under fire for blaming two “Massachusetts men” for running a $7 million SNAP fraud ring selling benefits meant for hungry families.
Two Massachusetts men trafficked nearly $7 million worth of benefits intended for people who cannot afford food, federal prosecutors in Boston said Wednesday. https://t.co/7KraJ8Ebmx
— ABC News (@ABC) December 17, 2025
The men, Antonio Bonheur, 74, and Saul Alisme, 21, were each charged with one count of food stamp fraud. Bonheur is a naturalized U.S. citizen and Alisme is a lawful permanent resident and citizen of Haiti, according to the charging documents.
They were not, in fact, Massachusetts men. https://t.co/fOy96CsLow
— Stephen Miller (@StephenM) December 18, 2025
“Massachusetts men” https://t.co/pvZkXX9YyJ
— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) December 18, 2025
The men sold benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for cash, liquor, and more, according to court documents. That federal program feeds about 42 million people monthly.
Bonheur's store was only 150 square feet of space, but he reported monthly SNAP redemptions ranging from $100,000 to $500,000.
By comparison, one full-service supermarket in the same area redeems approximately $82,000 per month in SNAP benefits.
The stores each had one register, no shopping carts, and no baskets. It couldn’t have supported the reported sales numbers, the charging documents said. Investigators surveilled the properties and found that repeatedly large transactions were occurring at the stores but people were leaving the stores sometimes with no merchandise or bags visible at all, even after spending hundreds of dollars in SNAP EBT transactions.
🚨 Two arrested & charged in alleged scheme to fraudulently obtain millions in SNAP benefits through small variety stores. Allegedly redeemed $100K–$500K in benefits per month – outpacing supermarkets – and sold donated food meant for children overseas.
— U.S. Attorney Massachusetts (@DMAnews1) December 17, 2025
🔗https://t.co/8z6uSBvPP6 pic.twitter.com/RobdUC2cFt
Additionally, transaction-level data showed that only approximately 10 percent of SNAP transactions were for amounts under $40, while more than 70 percent of transactions exceeded $95. Such transaction patterns are typically associated with large supermarkets, not small variety stores with limited food inventory.
During undercover operations conducted at both businesses over the course of the investigation, SNAP benefits were allegedly trafficked for cash on four occasions from Jesula Variety Store and on two occasions from Saul Mache Mixe Store. In each instance, the defendants themselves allegedly worked the cash registers and personally exchanged SNAP benefits for cash.
Both stores were also allegedly observed selling liquor in exchange for SNAP benefits.
Court documents say that both stores sold MannaPack meals, a donated food product manufactured by the nonprofit Feed My Starving Children that are meant to feed hungry kids, not for retail.
The defendants allegedly sold donated MannaPack meals in their stores for approximately $8 per package, profiting from food intended for humanitarian relief.
According to the charging documents, because both stores carried little legitimate food inventory and generated minimal lawful revenue, the defendants allegedly relied almost entirely on United States Department of Agriculture-funded SNAP redemptions as their source of income.
The two men allegedly kept multiple secondary bank accounts to route SNAP payments through that appeared to be a legitimate business.
The charge of food stamp fraud greater than $100 provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
