A Haitian businessman has pleaded guilty to operating a multimillion-dollar fraud scheme involving U.S. food assistance benefits through a small retail store in the Mattapan area of Boston.
The defendant, Antonio Bonheur, 74, admitted to orchestrating a US$6.7 million benefit fraud scheme while operating Jesula Variety Store, a shop measuring approximately 150 square feet.
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According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, Bonheur reached a plea agreement on charges of wire fraud and unauthorized use of government benefits.
Details of the Fraud Scheme
Federal prosecutors said the fraudulent operation took place between February 2021 and December 2025.
Authorities allege that Bonheur accepted Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards from recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program who wished to convert their benefits into cash.
Court filings indicate that Bonheur would process the full value of the benefits through his store’s point-of-sale terminal. However, customers allegedly received only a portion of the amount in cash, while Bonheur retained the remainder.
Thousands of such transactions were reportedly conducted over the four-year period.
The proceeds were then deposited into bank accounts linked to the store’s SNAP redemption system.
Rapid Increase in Fraudulent Transactions
Charging documents revealed that the scale of the operation increased significantly over time.
Monthly SNAP redemptions reportedly rose from US$6,467 in October 2023 to US$157,937 by March 2024.
The activity peaked in August 2024, when transactions totaled approximately US$540,870 for that month alone.
Throughout 2025, the store’s monthly redemptions consistently exceeded US$200,000, including US$358,472 in October 2025, according to prosecutors.
Potential Sentencing and Deportation
Bonheur faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for the wire fraud charge.
Additional penalties may include up to three years of supervised release, a US$250,000 fine, and mandatory restitution.
The plea agreement also acknowledges that Bonheur could face deportation proceedings following his conviction.
Leah Foley has indicated that prosecutors will recommend a sentence at the lower end of the federal sentencing guidelines.
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for March 30 in federal court in Boston.
Second Defendant Facing Charges
A second individual, Saul Alsime, also a Haitian national, has been charged in connection with a separate scheme that allegedly operated from the same Mattapan location.
Prosecutors say Alsime trafficked more than US$121,890 in benefits between May and December 2025.
His case has been postponed until May, according to court records.
Announcing the charges, Foley emphasized the seriousness of the offenses.
“These men abused one of the government’s most critical safety net programs for their own financial gain,” she said.
“This is taxpayer money meant to keep people from going hungry. These defendants decided to take it for themselves.”
