A Maryland resident and two Washington, D.C. residents have been indicted in an alleged scheme to obtain over $600,000 in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, federal prosecutors announced Thursday.
Antonio William McCracken, 32, of District Heights, Maryland; Ricco Coley Young, 34; and Kimberly Lady Howard, 47, of Washington, have been charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, two counts of wire fraud, and two counts of unauthorized use, transfer, acquisition, alteration, or possession of SNAP benefits.
The indictment says that from January 2021 to at least February 2026, the defendants obtained SNAP recipients’ EBT cards, card numbers, and PINs in return for cash.
They allegedly utilized the benefits to purchase goods from retail stores in Maryland and abroad, which they subsequently prepared and sold through Young’s catering firm.
Prosecutors claimed the defendants frequently paid recipients about half the value of the benefits transferred.
According to the indictment, they exploited over $600,000 in SNAP assistance to make purchases for resale.
The prosecution was filed as part of the Justice Department’s first National USDA Benefits and Program Fraud Enforcement Surge, a nationwide campaign to combat fraud involving SNAP and other USDA programs.
If convicted, each may face up to 20 years in prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud, as well as five years for SNAP-related crimes.
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