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8 people charged in $7M SNAP benefit fraud scheme
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Oct 29, 2026 at 8:30 p.m. ET
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Spencer Platt/Getty Images
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Oct 29, 2026 at 8:30 p.m. ET
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Eight people were charged for their alleged involvement in a fraud scheme that stole $7 million from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
The alleged scam impacted thousands of people between April 2023 and September 2025, including some residents who never received the benefits stolen from them, according to the Manhattan district attorney’s office.
The eight individuals are accused of using the names of delis — real and fake — to open merchant processing accounts that could be used to steal Electronic Benefits Transfer numbers and the personal identification numbers associated with each account, according to prosecutors.
The group then allegedly swiped and used the accounts as soon as the benefits were loaded, leading some EBT users to discover drained accounts as soon as they tried to use them, officials said.
“The defendants allegedly tracked the timing of benefit funds and drained accounts before the legitimate SNAP recipient could buy food and other necessities, eventually stealing more than $7 million,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement.
The group worked out of a Yonkers deli and from hotels, and used the stolen funds to purchase luxury cars and send money internationally, including to Yemen.
“These alleged crimes not only resulted in the pilfering of public funds from a critical City-administered food program, but also left vulnerable New Yorkers without essential benefits to purchase groceries,” Department of Investigation Commissioner Nadia Shihata said in a statement.
Prosecutors only identified five of the accused: Belal Hauter, 34, Gregory Fabiani, 46, Abdulla Aezah, 35, Milton Rios, 53 and Yvette Rivera, 58.
The eight individuals are now facing conspiracy, grand larceny and identity theft charges.
Attorney information for those arrested was not immediately available.
Tagged
economy
new york city
public safety
Giulia Heyward
Giulia Heyward is a breaking news reporter on the Day-Of desk. She previously worked at NPR, as a breaking news reporter, and the New York Times, as a reporting fellow on the national desk. Her work has also appeared in CNN, The Atlantic and Politico. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or more securely on signal at 917-715-1458.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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