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Influencer Arrested for $4 Million SNAP Fraud Scheme

By Drooid · Oct 28, 2026, 06:22 UTC · How we work

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Summary

Mercedes Reshard New, an American influencer, was arrested for obtaining $4 million in SNAP benefits in Georgia.
A grand jury indicted New on Oct. 7 on 46 mail fraud counts, 15 aggravated identity theft counts, and SNAP fraud.
Prosecutors say New created over 350 fraudulent SNAP accounts using stolen identities from Jan 2020 to July 2026.
The USDA revoked Shawty Dred LLC’s SNAP retailer authorization in November 2025 after New’s alleged scheme.

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Story summary

Mercedes Reshard New, an American influencer, was arrested for obtaining $4 million in SNAP benefits in Georgia.
A grand jury indicted New on Oct. 7 on 46 mail fraud counts, 15 aggravated identity theft counts, and SNAP fraud.
Prosecutors say New created over 350 fraudulent SNAP accounts using stolen identities from Jan 2020 to July 2026.
The USDA revoked Shawty Dred LLC’s SNAP retailer authorization in November 2025 after New’s alleged scheme.