❓WHAT HAPPENED: A Haitian man pleaded guilty to orchestrating a $6.7 million benefit fraud scheme through his Boston retail store.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Antonio Bonheur, 74, and a second defendant, Saul Alsime.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The scheme ran from February 2021 to December 2025 in Mattapan, Boston.
🎯IMPACT: Bonheur faces up to 20 years imprisonment, potential deportation, and financial penalties. A second defendant’s case is ongoing.
A Haitian man arrested last December in Boston and charged with orchestrating a $6.7 million fraud scheme involving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, also known as food stamps, has pleaded guilty to wire fraud and unauthorized use of benefits. Antonio Bonheur, a 74-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Haiti, ran the scheme through his small retail store, Jesula Variety Store, in the Mattapan area of Boston, Massachusetts.
The National Pulse previously reported that Bonheur and Saul Alisme, a 21-year-old lawful permanent resident, conspired to use their small bodegas in the Mattapan neighborhood as fronts where SNAP benefits could be exchanged for discounted cash payments. Despite observably low inventory and minimal business transactions, one of the bodegas reportedly redeemed upwards of $500,000 in SNAP benefits in a single month. The figure, prosecutors noted, is one that would be expected for a major retail grocery chain and not a small independent convenience store.
Charging documents highlighted a dramatic escalation in the scale of the fraud. Monthly redemptions surged from $6,467 in October 2023 to $157,937 by March 2024, peaking at $540,870 in August 2024. Throughout 2025, monthly totals consistently exceeded $200,000, with October alone reaching $358,472.
Bonheur faces a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment for the wire fraud charge, along with potential penalties including three years of supervised release, a $250,000 fine, and mandatory restitution. The plea agreement also acknowledges that Bonheur may face denaturalization and deportation. As a result of the guilty plea, Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Leah Foley has agreed to recommend a sentence at the lower end of the federal guidelines.
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for March 30 in Boston. Meanwhile, Saul Alsime’s case has been postponed until May.
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