Massachusetts man convicted of trafficking nearly $7 million in food stamp benefits, selling donated food intended for starving children

BOSTON – The owner of a small convenience in Massachusetts has been convicted of fraudulently obtaining millions of dollars’ worth of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. The defendant’s monthly SNAP redemptions in his 150 square foot store ranged from $100,000 – $500,000 per month, far outpacing full-service supermarkets which redeem approximately $82,000 per month in SNAP benefits.

The defendant also sold liquor and emergency food supplies intended for food-insecure children overseas.

According to a release from the Massachusetts Department of Justice, 74-year-old Antonio Bonheur of Mattapan, pleaded guilty to one count of food stamp fraud and one count of wire fraud. U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani scheduled sentencing for July 8, 2026. Bonheur was arrested and charged in December 2025. As part of today’s plea, Bonheur agreed to forfeit nearly $400,000 in fraudulently obtained proceeds that were seized during the investigation.

Bonheur owned Jesula Variety Store, which operated as a small variety store within a single street-facing storefront in the Mattapan neighborhood of Boston. Jesula Variety Store occupied approximately 150 square feet.

According to the charging documents, despite the store’s limited size, inventory and food offerings, Jesula Variety Store exhibited extraordinarily high SNAP redemption volumes, far beyond what could reasonably be supported by legitimate food sales. Transaction data revealed that the store had exceptionally large and anomalous average monthly SNAP redemption rates when compared to similarly situated businesses of the same size, type and location. Specifically, Bonheur’s monthly SNAP redemptions for Jesula Variety Store regularly exceeded $100,000 – with many months exceeding $300,000 and, at times, $500,000. By comparison, one full-service supermarket in the same area redeems approximately $82,000 per month in SNAP benefits.

Additionally, transaction-level data showed that only approximately 10% of SNAP transactions were for amounts under $40, while more than 70% of transactions exceeded $95. Such transaction patterns are typically associated with large supermarkets, not small variety stores with limited food inventory.

During undercover operations conducted over the course of the investigation, SNAP benefits were trafficked for cash from Jesula Variety Store on four occasions. In each instance, the defendant worked the cash registers and personally exchanged SNAP benefits for cash. Bonheur also sold liquor in exchange for SNAP benefits.

Additionally, Jesula Variety Store also sold MannaPack meals, a donated food product manufactured by the nonprofit Feed My Starving Children. These meals are paid for entirely by charitable donations intended for shipment and distribution to food-insecure children overseas and are never authorized for retail sale. Bonheur sold donated MannaPack meals in his store for approximately $8 per package, profiting from food intended for humanitarian relief.

Jesula Variety Store carried little legitimate food inventory and generated minimal lawful revenue, therefore Bonheur relied almost entirely on USDA-funded SNAP redemptions as his source of income. To conceal the nature and source of these funds, Bonheur maintained numerous secondary bank accounts through which SNAP proceeds were transferred, withdrawn as cash and redeposited to create the appearance of legitimate business activity while obscuring the true source of funds.

Despite receiving millions of dollars per year in SNAP redemptions through Jesula Variety Store, Bonheur was issued a SNAP card for himself by the Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance. In applying for his SNAP benefits, Bonheur made multiple false statements concerning his income and assets.

The charge of food stamp fraud greater than $5,000 provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Charmeka Parker, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations – Northeast Region; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Mallard of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The remaining defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law.