BOSTON – A Haitian national illegally residing in Massachusetts has pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston to fraudulently obtain millions of dollars’ worth of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits through small retail stores he operated in Boston.
According to the Department of Justice, 25-year-old Saul Alisme has pleaded guilty to one count of food stamp fraud. U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani scheduled sentencing for February 10th, 2027. Alisme was charged in December 2025.
Alisme owned Saul Mache Mixe Store, a small variety store within a single street-facing storefront in the Mattapan neighborhood of Boston. Saul Mache Mixe Store occupied approximately 500 square feet.
According to the charging documents, despite the limited size, inventory and food offerings, Saul Mache Mixe Store exhibited extraordinarily high SNAP redemption volumes, far beyond what could reasonably be supported by legitimate food sales. Specifically, 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.
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 at Saul Mache Mixe Store, SNAP benefits were trafficked for cash on two occasions from Saul Mache Mixe Store. In each instance, the defendant worked the cash register and personally exchanged SNAP benefits for cash. Saul Mache Mixe Store was also observed selling liquor in exchange for SNAP benefits.
Saul Mache Mixe 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. Alisme sold donated MannaPack meals in his store for approximately $8 per package, profiting from food intended for humanitarian relief.
According to the charging documents, because Saul Mache Mixe Store carried little legitimate food inventory and generated minimal lawful revenue, the defendant relied almost entirely on USDA-funded SNAP redemptions as his source of income. To conceal the nature and source of these funds, the defendant 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.
The charge of food stamp fraud greater than $100 provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. 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.
