A Minnesota woman was sentenced to federal prison last week after a judge found she orchestrated a sophisticated fraud scheme that bilked the federal government out of more than $325,000 in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – SNAP, formerly referred to as food stamps, benefits. The fraud sentence came after prosecutors proved that the elaborate plan involved bogus identities, fake medical claims and the unlawful resale of benefit cards.
According to the Department of Justice, 39-year-old Latasha Thomas was convicted on a single count of mail fraud for her role in defrauding the SNAP food-assistance program. A federal judge handed down a one-year prison term, followed by supervised release, and ordered her to repay $325,159 in restitution to the United States Department of Agriculture. The sentence was announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota.
🚨BREAKING: A Minnesota woman has been sentenced to a year in prison for her role in a SNAP fraud scheme, according to @AlphaNews.
Latasha Thomas will have to pay restitution to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for her crime, which involved unlawfully acquiring EBT cards,… pic.twitter.com/0wu92VeryX
— Off The Press (@OffThePress1) February 9, 2026
Prosecutors said Thomas did not act alone. Over the course of more than two years, she conspired with her daughter, Ambrosia Thomas, and another relative, Cynthia Thomas, to unlawfully acquire Electronic Benefit Transfer cards, which are issued monthly to qualifying low-income residents and loaded with SNAP funds used to purchase food and make cash withdrawals.
Every audit of a California program seems to uncover staggering fraud. $32.6 billion in unemployment fraud. Billions with SNAP and Medi-Cal. Millions of fake community college applicants.
This is just the tip of the iceberg. I’ve asked for a GAO report on all fraud in the state. pic.twitter.com/7QnGWaSca1
— Kevin Kiley (@KevinKileyCA) February 9, 2026
Investigators revealed that the trio created fake Minnesota temporary driver’s licenses using entirely fabricated names and personal information. Those bogus licenses were then submitted to county officials to obtain EBT cards from the state. In multiple applications, the defendants falsely claimed to have “high risk pregnancy” status, asserting that their benefits should be increased because they were confined to bedrest — a claim prosecutors said was backed by forged doctor’s notes created specifically to pad their fraud.
In many of the fraudulent applications, the addresses used for mailing the EBT cards directed them to an apartment in Roseville, where Cynthia Thomas was living under an assumed identity. Law enforcement officers discovered that mailbox after executing a search warrant, finding numerous pieces of mail addressed to the pseudonyms used in the scheme.
Once in possession of the cards, the three women reportedly withdrew government funds from ATMs and used the money to make personal purchases. But the scheme went further: prosecutors said the Thomas family also marketed and sold the use of the EBT cards to others. Under this arrangement, customers would pick up an EBT card, use a portion of its monthly allotment, return the card, and then pay the conspirators a fee — typically 50 to 60 percent of the benefit amount.
🚨 HOLY H-LL: Massive $7M SNAP fraud busted in Massachusetts, Haitian nationals Antonio Bonheur & Saul Alisme ran fake tiny stores, raking in up to $500K/month turning food stamps into straight CASH!
pic.twitter.com/yk8ceElHR1
— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) December 18, 2025
The government’s case was bolstered by evidence gathered by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Hennepin County Fraud Unit, both of which played major roles in uncovering the scheme and bringing charges.
Thomas’s daughters and relatives also faced legal consequences. Cynthia Thomas was convicted last year on a mail fraud conspiracy charge and received three years of probation. Ambrosia Thomas has agreed to plead guilty to mail fraud, and her sentencing is pending.
Federal prosecutors framed the sentence as a strong deterrent to would-be fraudsters targeting vital assistance programs. SNAP benefits are designed to support low-income families and individuals who legitimately need help putting food on the table. When those resources are diverted or stolen, prosecutors say it harms both taxpayers and the most vulnerable recipients who rely on the system.
The case also comes amid heightened scrutiny of fraud in various social service programs in Minnesota, which has seen a number of high-profile fraud prosecutions in recent years. One such probe involved a massive child-nutrition fraud scheme tied to Feeding Our Future, a nonprofit that was later found to have diverted hundreds of millions of dollars in government funds. While that case involved a different set of defendants and allegations, it helped fuel calls from some officials for tighter oversight and enforcement of public benefit programs.
Breaking news!! Massive SNAP fraud in MD by “senior officials.” pic.twitter.com/Wqfbn6A5y5
— Kathy Szeliga (@KathyforMD) January 9, 2026
But federal authorities emphasized that each case is unique and that SNAP fraud remains a crime with serious consequences. In sentencing Latasha Thomas to prison, a judge reinforced the principle that exploiting government assistance programs through deception and identity fraud will not be tolerated, and that multi-year schemes with multiple conspirators will face significant penalties under federal law.
