Federal prosecutors have charged two Haitian migrants in Massachusetts with allegedly trafficking more than $7 million in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.
Antonio Bonheur, 74, and Saul Alisme, 21, were arrested on Wednesday.
The two men used one of the government’s most critical food safety programs for their own financial gain, prosecutors allege. The defendants allegedly operated fake retail stores to carry out their scheme.
Bonheur, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Haiti, owned Jesula Variety Store. Alisme, a lawful permanent resident also from Haiti, owned Saul Mache Mixe Store. Â Both businesses operated as small variety stores in the Mattapan neighborhood in Boston.
“To be certain, these were not supermarkets,” U.S. Attorney Leah Foley said during a press conference. “They were not full-service groceries. It would be a huge stretch to even call them convenience stores. In fact, the only thing convenient about them was how easy it was to commit SNAP benefit fraud.”
Foley pointed out that the stores had suspiciously high SNAP redemption volumes despite their limited size, inventory, and food offerings.
Undercover investigations found that both men worked the cash registers themselves and personally exchanged SNAP benefits for cash. At times, the stores also sold liquor in exchange for SNAP benefits.
Investigators also found that the men sold donated food products intended for the nonprofit Feed My Starving Children. The defendants allegedly sold donated MannaPack meals in their stores for approximately $8 per package, profiting from food meant for humanitarian relief.
Each has been charged with one count of food stamps fraud. It’s unclear if they have retained legal representation.
They face up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000.
