excalibur
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- Mar 19, 2015
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Massachusetts is one of the Blue States refusing to turn over to the Feds their SNAP beneficiaries' information.
We know why. This is just additional evidence.
legalinsurrection.com
We know why. This is just additional evidence.
Massachusetts federal prosecutors charged two Haitian men with allegedly running a $7 million SNAP benefits scam.
Antonis Bonheur, 74, is a naturalized U.S. citizen from Haiti, and owner of the Jesula Variety Store (JVS) in Mattapan, MA, located about 7.5 miles south of Boston.
Saul Alisme, 24, is a lawful permanent resident, but still a citizen of Haiti. He owns the Saul Mache Mixe Store (SMM), which has only been a SNAP Authorized place since February 2025.
JVS allegedly trafficked over $6 million in SNAP benefits over three years. SMM allegedly trafficked over $121,890 in benefits since May of 2025.
They also allegedly stole and sold food meant for the nonprofit organization Feed My Starving Children:
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.
From the charging documents:
JVS began accepting SNAP Benefits in September 2021. Over the course of the investigation, investigators have become familiar with JVS. Based upon the investigation of JESULA VARIETY STORE including my investigation of the documents reporting the physical premises of 1549 Blue Hill Avenue, and multiple instances where purchases have been made from JVS, I know that the actual footprint of JVS is comprised of approximately 150 square feet of space.
In addition to trafficking SNAP Benefits for millions of dollars in cash through JESULA VARIETY STORE, BONHEUR also fraudulently applied for SNAP Benefits himself in 2022, claiming to have zero income and failing to list JVS. Since 2022, BONHEUR has been collecting SNAP Benefits based on this fraudulent application, often conducting transactions at JVS in amounts exceeding $95. Effectively, BONHEUR himself was receiving SNAP Benefits, despite owning a business, and that business itself conducting millions of dollars in SNAP redemptions in the past calendar years.
The charging documents explained that their tiny bodegas did not appear to be typical stores or fit into the neighborhood due to their size and inventory, given the amount of SNAP benefits they received.
“These were not supermarkets,” said Leah Foley, the U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts. “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 these stores was how easy it was to commit SNAP benefit fraud.”
The investigation found that both stores conducted “numerous transactions for over $95 in a single day, and hundreds of such transactions per month.”
SSM’s total per month was $30,000, and JVS racked up $300,000 per month.
How was this possible despite having nothing for customers to carry their products, empty shelves, one register, and no barcode scanners?
“Simply put, Jesula Variety Store and Saul Mache Mix Store simply do not have sufficient SNAP eligible food inventory to support the number and value of the transactions,” according to the documents.
The agent who wrote the document described JVS as “a closet with shelves and a register.”
Surveillance helped back up the claims because people would leave after making big transactions…without any merchandise in their hands.
...
Antonis Bonheur, 74, is a naturalized U.S. citizen from Haiti, and owner of the Jesula Variety Store (JVS) in Mattapan, MA, located about 7.5 miles south of Boston.
Saul Alisme, 24, is a lawful permanent resident, but still a citizen of Haiti. He owns the Saul Mache Mixe Store (SMM), which has only been a SNAP Authorized place since February 2025.
JVS allegedly trafficked over $6 million in SNAP benefits over three years. SMM allegedly trafficked over $121,890 in benefits since May of 2025.
They also allegedly stole and sold food meant for the nonprofit organization Feed My Starving Children:
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.
From the charging documents:
JVS began accepting SNAP Benefits in September 2021. Over the course of the investigation, investigators have become familiar with JVS. Based upon the investigation of JESULA VARIETY STORE including my investigation of the documents reporting the physical premises of 1549 Blue Hill Avenue, and multiple instances where purchases have been made from JVS, I know that the actual footprint of JVS is comprised of approximately 150 square feet of space.
In addition to trafficking SNAP Benefits for millions of dollars in cash through JESULA VARIETY STORE, BONHEUR also fraudulently applied for SNAP Benefits himself in 2022, claiming to have zero income and failing to list JVS. Since 2022, BONHEUR has been collecting SNAP Benefits based on this fraudulent application, often conducting transactions at JVS in amounts exceeding $95. Effectively, BONHEUR himself was receiving SNAP Benefits, despite owning a business, and that business itself conducting millions of dollars in SNAP redemptions in the past calendar years.
The charging documents explained that their tiny bodegas did not appear to be typical stores or fit into the neighborhood due to their size and inventory, given the amount of SNAP benefits they received.
“These were not supermarkets,” said Leah Foley, the U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts. “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 these stores was how easy it was to commit SNAP benefit fraud.”
The investigation found that both stores conducted “numerous transactions for over $95 in a single day, and hundreds of such transactions per month.”
SSM’s total per month was $30,000, and JVS racked up $300,000 per month.
How was this possible despite having nothing for customers to carry their products, empty shelves, one register, and no barcode scanners?
“Simply put, Jesula Variety Store and Saul Mache Mix Store simply do not have sufficient SNAP eligible food inventory to support the number and value of the transactions,” according to the documents.
The agent who wrote the document described JVS as “a closet with shelves and a register.”
Surveillance helped back up the claims because people would leave after making big transactions…without any merchandise in their hands.
...
Two Massachusetts Haitian Men Charged in $7 Million SNAP Benefits Fraud Scheme
They also allegedly stole and sold food meant for the nonprofit organization Feed My Starving Children.
legalinsurrection.com
