Federal SNAP fraud surge targets 40-plus defendants as ICE announces separate benefits operation

The Justice Department, the Department of Agriculture and the USDA Office of Inspector General on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026, announced the results of what DOJ called its first National USDA Benefits and Program Fraud Enforcement Surge. Conducted between Sept. 1 and Oct. 21 with 13 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Utah Attorney General’s Office, it produced actions against more than 40 defendants whose “alleged or proven” schemes DOJ says caused nearly $45 million in intended losses, about $42 million of it involving the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

The cases range from indictments to a guilty plea, according to DOJ. The largest, in the Southern District of Ohio, alleges that thousands of transactions were processed at authorized Chicago food stores using stolen benefit-card data with no real sales, with an estimated intended loss of about $29.7 million. A Georgia case alleges repeated access to the benefits phone system to reach hundreds of accounts, and a Florida defendant pleaded guilty to false crop-insurance claims.

Separately, the Department of Homeland Security said it has begun a large-scale operation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) targeting people it says entered the country unlawfully and then obtained SNAP benefits. DHS listed five arrests, four people it identified as Haitian and one as Cuban, without giving a total number of arrests or associated losses. Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the programs are “for Americans only” and called the arrests so far “a drop in the bucket.”

DOJ notes that an indictment or complaint is merely an allegation and that defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. On eligibility, a USDA memorandum implementing the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed July 4, 2025, limits SNAP to U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, lawful permanent residents, Cuban and Haitian entrants as defined in law, and Compact of Free Association citizens who meet the other requirements. That excludes people without lawful status, but the program is not limited to citizens alone.

Because DOJ describes benefit recipients as frequent victims of card theft, anyone whose card is declined or whose balance disappears can report it to the state agency that issued the card. People unsure of their eligibility after the 2025 changes can check with the same agency or a reputable legal-aid provider.