Two Massachusetts Men Charged with Large-Scale SNAP Benefits Trafficking

BOSTON - Two men have been arrested and charged in an alleged scheme to fraudulently obtain millions of dollars' worth of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits through small retail stores they operated in Boston. Defendants' monthly SNAP redemptions allegedly ranged from $100,000 - $500,000 per month, outpacing full-service supermarkets. Defendants also allegedly sold donated food product intended for food-insecure children overseas.

Antonio Bonheur, 74, of Mattapan and Saul Alisme, 21, of Hyde Park, were each charged with one count of food stamp fraud. The defendants were arrested this morning and will appear in federal court in Boston at 3:15 p.m. today.

Bonheur owned Jesula Variety Store and Alisme owned Saul Mache Mixe Store, both of which operated as small variety stores within a single street-facing storefront in the Mattapan neighborhood of Boston. Jesula Variety Store occupied about 150 square feet. Saul Mache Mixe Store occupied about 500 square feet.

According to the charging documents, despite their limited size, inventory and food offerings, both stores allegedly exhibited extraordinarily high SNAP redemption volumes, far beyond what could reasonably be supported by legitimate food sales. Specifically, transaction data allegedly revealed that the stores had exceptionally large and anomalous average monthly SNAP redemption rates when compared to similarly situated businesses of the same size, type and location. It is alleged that the defendants' monthly SNAP redemptions for Jesula Variety Store regularly exceeded $100,000 - with many months exceeding $300,000 and, at times, $500,000. By comparison, one full-service supermarket in the same area redeems approximately $82,000 per month in SNAP benefits.

Additionally, transaction-level data showed that only approximately 10%of SNAP transactions were for amounts under $40, while more than 70% 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.

It is further alleged that both stores sold MannaPack meals, a donated food product manufactured by the nonprofit Feed My Starving Children. These meals are paid for entirely by charitable donations intended for shipment and distribution to food-insecure children overseas and are never authorized for retail sale. 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 USDA-funded SNAP redemptions as their source of income. To conceal the nature and source of these funds, the defendants allegedly maintained numerous secondary bank accounts through which SNAP proceeds were transferred, withdrawn as cash and redeposited to create the appearance of legitimate business activity while obscuring the true source of funds.

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.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Charmeka Parker, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations - Northeast Region; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Mallard of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendants are presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law.