Abu Sabet: Two Boston men were arrested and charged with fraud that authorities say raked in so much Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) money that their tally began to outpace legitimate supermarkets.
The men — Antonio Bonheur, 74, and Saul Alisme, 21 — allegedly operated their scams out of two small variety stores in the Mattapan neighborhood, according to the Department of Justice (1). Despite their small size and limited food offerings, these stores allegedly reported extremely high SNAP redemption volumes that went “far beyond what could reasonably be supported by legitimate food sales.” “To be certain, these were not supermarkets. They were not full-service groceries,” Leah Foley, U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts, said in a press conference (2). “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.”
According to the criminal complaint, Bonheur allegedly redeemed roughly $6.9 million in SNAP benefits through his Jesula Variety Store between September 2021 and November 2025. As for Alisme, authorities say he “trafficked over $121,890 in SNAP benefits” through his Saul Mache Mixe Store beginning in May of this year. Both men have been charged with one count of food stamp fraud (3). “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,” the DOJ added (1). “By comparison, one full-service supermarket in the same area redeems approximately $82,000 per month in SNAP benefits.”
How the alleged SNAP scheme worked
Authorities claim Bonheur and Alisme were trafficking SNAP benefits for cash, a scheme that included transactions with undercover officers who visited the stores on multiple occasions. One example given in the complaint was a transaction in which an undercover officer reportedly trafficked $120 in SNAP benefits to Alisme, who gave the officer $100 in cash in return.
The DOJ allege the two men had several secondary bank accounts where SNAP proceeds were stored, withdrawn in cash and then redeposited in order to make the fraudulent activity look like legitimate business.
The complaint breaks down the month-by-month value of the alleged illegal SNAP transactions. In Bonheur’s case, some months recorded fewer than 20 SNAP transactions while during others, the numbers skyrocketed. In August 2024 alone, the complaint alleges Bonheur processed more than 1,900 SNAP transactions, redeeming $540,870 in benefits (3). The DOJ also says that 90% of SNAP-related transactions by Bonheur exceeded $95.
“Observations made by the undercovers showed that it was just as easy for anyone with an EBT card to walk into either store and convert hundreds of dollars in SNAP benefits into cash,” Foley noted in her press conference. “The defendants even sold liquor in exchange for SNAP benefits, an outright violation of federal law.”
The pair is also accused of selling MannaPack meals, which are food packages that were manufactured and donated by the nonprofit Feed My Starving Children. These meals come from charitable donations and are meant to provide humanitarian relief for starving children overseas. The defendants allegedly sold these meals for $8 each.
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