The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Massachusetts on Wednesday announced federal charges against two Haitian nationals in connection with a sprawling Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) — commonly referred to as food stamps — scheme.
During a press conference, federal authorities arrested Antonio Bonheur, 74, of Mattapan, and Saul Alisme, 21, of Hyde Park, both originally from Haiti. Bonheur is a naturalized U.S. citizen, and Alisme is a lawful permanent resident.
Each faces one count of food stamp fraud in connection with an alleged scheme involving the trafficking of nearly $7 million in SNAP benefits.
Bonheur owned and operated Jesula Variety Store, a 150-square-foot retail space, while Alisme owned and operated Saul Mache Mixe Store, a 500-square-foot space. The two stores shared a single street-facing storefront at 1549 Blue Hill Avenue in Boston’s Mattapan neighborhood.
Jesula Variety Store became authorized to accept SNAP benefits in September 2021, and Saul Mache Mixe Store became authorized in May 2025.
According to charging documents, the stores redeemed extraordinarily high volumes of SNAP benefits that far exceeded what their size, inventory, and legitimate food sales could support. Jesula Variety Store allegedly redeemed over $6.8 million in SNAP benefits since 2022, with monthly redemptions often ranging from $100,000 to $500,000. Saul Mache Mixe Store allegedly redeemed approximately $122,000 in benefits over a shorter period.
Authorities allege that the defendants personally worked the cash registers and exchanged SNAP benefits for cash on multiple occasions, rather than for eligible food items. Undercover operations reportedly documented SNAP benefits being trafficked for cash four times at Jesula Variety Store and twice at Saul Mache Mixe Store.
The defendants also allegedly accepted SNAP benefits in exchange for liquor and sold MannaPack meals — donated food packages from the nonprofit Feed My Starving Children intended for free distribution in food-insecure countries and never authorized for retail sale — for approximately $8 per package.
Prosecutors allege that the defendants used multiple bank accounts to deposit, transfer, and withdraw funds in a manner designed to conceal the source of the proceeds.
“As alleged in the charging documents, these men abused one of government’s most critical safety net programs for their own financial gain. These defendants exchanged SNAP benefits for cash, which they pocketed,” U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts Leah B. Foley said during Wednesday’s press conference.
“Simply put, there is no plausible way SNAP-eligible food could have been purchased from these stores for this long, yet these two stores are alleged to have illicitly trafficked nearly $7 million in SNAP benefits. The fraud was shocking and glaring.”
The defendants were arrested on December 17, 2025, and were scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in Boston for arraignment. The case remains under investigation, with involvement from federal agencies including the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
