2 Boston Store Owners Charged in a $7 Million SNAP Benefits ‘Trafficking’ Case

Two convenience store owners in Boston are facing federal charges after investigators allege they ran a years-long scheme to illegally swap Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for cash — a practice known as benefits trafficking — generating more than $7 million in suspected fraudulent redemptions.

Federal prosecutors in Massachusetts have charged Antonio Bonheur, the owner of Jesula Variety Store, and Saul Alisme, who operates Saul Mache Mixe Store, with food stamp fraud connected to separate undercover transactions alleged to have taken place in October 2025. Both stores are located in the same building on Blue Hill Avenue in Mattapan — a detail investigators say helped them piece together the scale of the suspected operation.

Investigators said they began looking closely at the stores after noticing SNAP redemption totals that appeared wildly out of step with their size and capacity. Jesula Variety Store is roughly 150 square feet and reportedly lacks features common to legitimate high-volume grocers, including shopping carts, baskets, optical scanners, and refrigeration — limitations authorities say would make it difficult to process large food purchases day after day.

Despite that, prosecutors allege Bonheur’s store redeemed more than $6.9 million in SNAP benefits between 2021 and 2025, including a large share of transactions exceeding $150. Court filings also cite comparisons showing similarly classified grocery stores in the same ZIP code averaged about $16,000 per month in SNAP redemptions.

Alisme’s store — which began accepting SNAP in May 2025 — allegedly showed a similar pattern on a smaller scale. Investigators estimate Saul Mache Mixe Store trafficked more than $121,000 in SNAP benefits within a matter of months through transactions they say did not match the store’s limited food selection.

The allegations rely heavily on undercover operations described in court documents. Between June and October 2025, investigators say undercover officers repeatedly exchanged SNAP benefits for cash at both stores while buying minimal food items. Authorities also allege that some transactions included items prohibited under SNAP rules, including alcohol.

In one transaction dated Oct. 22, prosecutors allege Bonheur exchanged $140 in SNAP benefits for $100 in cash while processing a purchase that included a malt alcoholic beverage. In another transaction on Oct. 16, Alisme is accused of exchanging $120.55 in SNAP benefits for $100 in cash after selling small amounts of flour and donated food products.

Investigators also pointed to the alleged sale of donated products known as MannaPacks, produced by the nonprofit Feed My Starving Children. Authorities said those packages are intended for overseas humanitarian aid and are not authorized for retail sale in the United States — and their presence on store shelves raised additional concerns.

Surveillance footage described in filings reportedly showed customers leaving the stores empty-handed or carrying only small bags after SNAP transactions totaling hundreds of dollars. On multiple days of observation, investigators said they did not see customers carrying groceries consistent with the amounts charged.

Bonheur is also accused of fraudulently applying for SNAP benefits in 2022 by allegedly claiming zero income and failing to disclose his ownership of Jesula Variety Store. Authorities say he then redeemed those benefits primarily at his own business, despite the store’s unusually high SNAP activity.

Both men are currently charged with one count of food stamp fraud involving transactions over $100 but under $5,000. Investigators say the charged conduct represents only a portion of the activity outlined in the affidavit. The USDA Office of Inspector General and the FBI conducted the investigation jointly.

Neither Bonheur nor Alisme has entered a plea. Attorneys for the defendants were not immediately identified, and the case remains pending in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts.