Federal prosecutors in Massachusetts have charged two Haitian immigrants—Antonio Bonheur, 74, a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Haiti, and Saul Alisme, 21, a lawful permanent resident—with operating a $7 million food stamp fraud scheme.
The charges were filed on December 15, 2025, and publicly announced on December 17 in Boston’s Mattapan neighborhood, where the fraudulent activity occurred. Prosecutors allege that Bonheur and Alisme operated small convenience stores that engaged in an elaborate system involving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.
According to federal authorities, one store reportedly redeemed over $500,000 in SNAP benefits within a single month—a transaction volume typically associated with large grocery chains rather than independent businesses. The indictment details how the defendants exchanged SNAP benefits for cash payments, traded liquor for SNAP benefits, sold international humanitarian aid food packages, and laundered fraudulent proceeds through secondary bank accounts to avoid detection.
Prosecutors state that Bonheur alone redeemed an estimated $6.8 million in SNAP benefits over a three-year period. U.S. Attorney Leah Foley described the scheme as part of a broader pattern, stating, “Fraud is not isolated, but widespread.” She also criticized Massachusetts officials and other Democratic-controlled states for refusing to share SNAP data with federal authorities.
The case has drawn parallels to investigations in Minnesota involving alleged over $1 billion fraud schemes linked to the Somali immigrant community. State whistleblowers claim that Governor Tim Walz’s administration discovered these schemes as early as 2019 but failed to take meaningful action to address them.
