A Mattapan store owner pled guilty to processing at least $6.7 million in fraudulent food assistance transactions, according to court records.
Antonio Bonheur, 74, of Mattapan, entered into a plea deal with the office of Leah Foley, the United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts, on February 21. Bonheur pleaded guilty to the charges, which included one count of wire fraud and one count of improper use, transfer, and possession of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.
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According to a plea deal filed Monday in Boston federal court, Bonheur admits to trafficking SNAP payments through fraudulent electronic benefit transfer transactions at his Mattapan-based Jesula Variety Store (JVS).
According to the charge documents, Bonheur exchanged USDA-issued SNAP benefits for cash and ineligible products between February 2021 and December 2025. The transactions were handled through the store’s point-of-sale terminal, which resulted in deposits into Bonheur’s designated bank accounts for SNAP redemption payments.
According to court filings, Bonheur processed at least $6.7 million in fraudulent EBT transactions during that time period.
Charging documents also show that SNAP redemptions at the store have increased significantly in recent years. Monthly redemptions increased from $6,467 in October 2023 to $157,937 in March 2024, with a peak of $540,870 in August 2024. Throughout 2025, monthly redemptions above $200,000, with a peak of $358,472 in October.
According to charge documents, investigators conducting undercover operations at JVS witnessed the exchange of SNAP benefits for cash on many occasions. They further claimed that the store sold liquor in exchange for the benefits, which is prohibited per program guidelines.
Authorities also claimed that the store sold donated MannaPack meals – food aid produced by the NGO Feed My Starving Children — for around $8 per package.
According to a statement released by Foley’s office, Bonheur was detained and accused in December alongside Saul Alisme, 21, of Hyde Park.
Alisme, a Haitian national, ran the Saul Mache Mixe Store from the same Mattapan location and trafficked more than $121,000 in SNAP benefits between May and December 2025, according to prosecution filings.
Alisme’s case has been pushed back until mid-May, according to court records.
Bonheur is a naturalized citizen of the United States who admitted in his plea deal that the conviction could have an impact on his immigration status.
The food stamp fraud accusation carries a maximum term of five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine, according to Foley’s office.9
