Following the recent federal shutdown that temporarily revoked SNAP benefits, a case of the most alarming nature has been recorded in Massachusetts. 74-year-old Antonio Bonheur from Mattapan and 21-year-old Hyde Park resident Saul Alisme are identified as small-scale retail store owners.
Their limited inventory typically yielded modest profits until the duo began trafficking SNAP benefits for extra cash. The two planned out the scandal in a way that their stores were at the receiving end of redeeming SNAP benefits at rates that far exceeded legitimate supermarket rates.
As a result, their fraud directed the hard-earned taxpayer money into their own pockets. The SNAP benefits, which were ideally meant for needy families, never reached their intended recipients, and the two of them ultimately created a multi-million dollar criminal enterprise. The duo was finally arrested on Wednesday, and one count of food stamp fraud was levied against them, according to CBS Boston.
U.S. Attorney Leah Foley revealed the shocking profits both these store owners earned. One store’s monthly SNAP redemptions exceeded almost $100,000, while another went beyond $500,000. In comparison, a full-fledged supermarket as such redeems about $82,000 per month in terms of SNAP benefits.
Leah Foley stated, “As alleged in the charging documents, these men abused one of the government’s most critical safety net programs for their own financial gain. These defendants exchanged SNAP benefits for cash, which they pocketed.” B
ecause the shop owners had been operating this way for a while now, it took a lot of effort on the part of the authorities to nab them. So the investigators chose to visit both the stores undercover.
🚨🇺🇸 NO LONGER CONSPIRACY: US Attorney Busts $7M SNAP Fraud Ring – Fake Tiny Stores Cashing EBT for Millions! 💥👀🔥
U.S. Attorney Leah Foley announces: Two Haitian-origin owners arrested for trafficking ~$7M in SNAP benefits via two Mattapan (Boston) “stores” – Jesula Variety… https://t.co/ZEXZsFcwIM pic.twitter.com/YjfQnhwu8m
— The Grok Reports (@TheGrokReports) December 18, 2025
They were shocked to discover that the defendants had personally exchanged SNAP benefits for cash. In fact, both of them sold liquor in return for cash on SNAP, which was a direct violation of federal law. In one of the moments of the eyewitness, the investigators saw $120 worth of benefits was exchanged for $100 in cash. The stores, as such, had very minimal food inventory, spread barely over 150 square feet. Logistics included shelves and a register for cash and payment maintenance.
The attorney spoke about both the Massachusetts stores’ poor layout and stated, “It would be a huge stretch to even call them convenience stores. In fact, the only thing convenient about these stores was how easy it was to commit SNAP benefit fraud. Their storefronts were not even large enough to support a legitimate food pantry. When someone turns the equivalent of that poorly stocked inventory into a cash exchange turnstile for federal benefits, they are stealing from every taxpayer, and from every family that legitimately relies on this program.”
As the defendants are now facing charges for committing SNAP fraud for so long, the whole exercise also raises several questions over loopholes that did not allow the detection earlier. Considering the charges pressed against Bonheur and Alisme, they can face up to five years in prison and $250,000 in fines if convicted of fraud.
FBI Boston Assistant Special Agent James Crowley has been assigned to the investigation of the case. Speaking to the press over the incident, he stated, “When fraud on this scale occurs, it drains limited resources, undermines public confidence in a program that millions rely on every day, and it makes it harder for honest families and small business owners to get the help they need.”
