Authorities arrest individuals in separate SNAP fraud schemes

Law enforcement officials in New York and Florida have announced indictments and arrests related to large-scale Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) fraud schemes.

In New York, eight individuals face charges including conspiracy, grand larceny, and identity theft following an alleged $7 million scheme. Prosecutors claim the group operated from April 2023 through September 2025, using stolen Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card information to create cloned cards. The operation allegedly utilized fraudulent merchant accounts registered to real and fictitious delis to drain benefits from thousands of recipients. Investigators believe some stolen funds were used to purchase luxury vehicles and were sent overseas to Yemen.

In Florida, Anwar Jouda was arrested for his alleged role in an $862,000 fraud scheme. Authorities claim Jouda used a victim's identity and business information without consent to establish fraudulent merchant accounts. Through forged documents and falsified banking information, he allegedly diverted SNAP deposits into his own bank accounts. Jouda faces charges of grand theft, organized scheme to defraud, and criminal use of personal identification information.