United States Attorney Leah Foley of the District of Massachusetts announced Wednesday that two Haitian immigrants to the United States were facing food stamp fraud charges.
Antonio Bonheur, 74, of Mattapan, and Saul Alisme, 21, of Hyde Park, were each indicted on a single count of food stamp fraud over a scheme that bilked over $7 million in benefits from two bodegas in the Boston area, according to a Department of Justice (DOJ) release. Foley described how the bodega owners ripped off taxpayers during a press conference.
“These defendants exchanged SNAP benefits for cash, which they pocketed. Bohneur, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Haiti, owned the Jesula Variety Store. Alisme, a lawful permanent resident also from Haiti, owned the Saul Mache Mixe Store,” Foley told reporters. “These two businesses were co-located within a single storefront in Boston. To be certain, these were not supermarkets. They were not full-service groceries. It would be a huge stretch to even call them convenience stores.”
Hellbound and Down 