According to the Massachusetts Department of Justice, the proprietor of a tiny convenience store in Boston was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for fraudulently receiving millions of dollars in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. The defendant’s monthly SNAP redemptions in his 150-square-foot store varied between $100,000 and $500,000 per month, far exceeding full-service supermarkets, which redeem around $82,000 per month in SNAP benefits.
In addition, the defendant sold booze and emergency food supplies intended for food-insecure children overseas.
U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani sentenced Antonio Bonheur, 75, of Mattapan, to two years in prison, followed by two years of supervised release. Bonheur was also sentenced to pay $1 million in restitution through a money judgment, and about $400,000 in seized funds was ordered forfeited. In March 2026, the defendant entered a guilty plea to one count of food stamp fraud and one count of wire fraud. Bonheur was arrested and charged in December 2025.
“SNAP is a lifeline for hardworking Americans – not a slush fund for criminals,” said United States Attorney Leah Foley. “Antonio Bonheur came to the United States and repaid this country’s generosity by orchestrating a multi-million-dollar scheme that robbed taxpayers and stole from families who genuinely depend on this program to put food on the table. His so-called “convenience store” was a sham – a 150-square-foot fraud storage closet with bare shelves and virtually no food inventory. The only thing moving across his counter in any meaningful volume was stolen taxpayer money. Even more outrageous, while looting millions from SNAP, Mr. Bonheur was collecting SNAP benefits himself after state authorities accepted his claims of “poverty” with little meaningful scrutiny. That spectacular failure of oversight gave him exactly the opportunity he needed to exploit a system built on trust. Every dollar he stole had to be earned by an honest taxpayer first, and every dollar diverted weakened a program meant to protect our nation’s most vulnerable. This office will relentlessly pursue and prosecute those who treat public assistance programs as criminal profit centers to steal from the American people.”
“The outcome of this investigation should send a message of deterrence to those individuals who choose to steal taxpayer funds for personal use. Maintaining the integrity of USDA funding remains a priority for our agency. We appreciate the partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in pursuing this type of fraud and holding bad actors accountable,” said Charmeka Parker, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations – Northeast Region.
“Food-stamp fraudster Antonio Bonheur came into our country and took total advantage of it, setting up a tiny shop in Mattapan that was essentially nothing more than a front for massive fraud. He stole millions from a taxpayer funded program aimed at helping the poor, to instead make himself rich, and double dipped on a critical safety net that he too claimed he needed to survive,” said Ted Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division. “The selfishness and unremitting greed on display in this case is astonishing, and this sentence makes it clear that fraud is never the ticket to lasting financial gain. The FBI and our partners are working hard to crack down on crooked businesses of all kinds, whether they’re cheating the public, the government, or as in this case, both.”
Bonheur owned Jesula Variety Store, a modest variety store with one street-facing storefront in Boston’s Mattapan district. Jesula Variety Store occupied about 150 square feet. The store had a single cash machine, no shopping trolleys, no handbaskets, no refrigerators or freezers, and a limited food inventory.
According to the indictment documents, Bonheur used the store for more than three years largely as a vehicle for large-scale SNAP trafficking rather than as a genuine retail establishment. Despite its small size, inventory, and food offerings, Jesula Variety Store had exceptionally high SNAP redemption numbers, much exceeding what could be realistically sustained by actual food sales. Transaction data revealed that the store had very high average monthly SNAP redemption rates when compared to similarly placed companies of the same size, type, and location. Specifically, Bonheur’s monthly SNAP redemptions for Jesula Variety Store consistently topped $100,000, with several months topping $300,000 and, in some cases, $500,000. In contrast, one full-service grocery in the same area redeems nearly $82,000 per month in SNAP benefits.
Furthermore, transaction-level data revealed that just about 10% of SNAP transactions were for less than $40, with more than 70% exceeding $95. Such transaction patterns are more commonly linked with large supermarkets than tiny variety stores with limited food inventory.
During the investigation’s undercover activities, SNAP payments were trafficked for cash from Jesula Variety Store four times. In each case, the defendant operated cash registers and physically exchanged SNAP benefits for cash. Bonheur also sold liquor for SNAP benefits.
Jesula Variety Store also carried MannaPack meals, which are donated food products created by the non-profit Feed My Starving Children. These meals are totally funded by charitable donations and are meant for transportation and distribution to food-insecure children in other countries; they are never sold in stores. Bonheur made a profit by selling donated MannaPack meals in his business for around $8 per packet.
Because Jesula Variety Store had little real food inventory and earned little lawful revenue, Bonheur’s income was nearly completely derived from USDA-funded SNAP redemptions. To conceal the nature and source of these funds, Bonheur maintained a number of subsidiary bank accounts into which SNAP earnings were moved, withdrawn as cash, and redeposited, giving the illusion of normal business activity while concealing the genuine source of funds. The plan resulted in around $7 million in fraudulent SNAP redemptions, with Bonheur personally receiving nearly 20% of the revenues.
Despite earning millions of dollars in SNAP redemptions annually from Jesula Variety Store, Bonheur was awarded a SNAP card by the Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance. Bonheur lied about his salary and assets while asking for SNAP benefits. Using those fraudulent statements, he got SNAP benefits, which he subsequently trafficked for cash through his own store while also running the multimillion-dollar fraud scam.
On March 26, 2026, United States Attorney Foley announced the formation of the Benefit & Voter Fraud Team, a district-wide program launched in response to widespread fraud being discovered in Massachusetts. The team is led by two senior federal prosecutors who serve as fraud coordinators. Their objective is to aggressively investigate and prosecute the misuse of taxpayer-funded benefits in Massachusetts.
The public is encouraged to report suspected benefit fraud in Massachusetts by calling 1-855-SCAM-MA-1 (855-722-6621).
The details in the charge document are allegations. The remaining defendant is deemed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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