BOSTON — A convenience store owner in Boston has been convicted of trafficking nearly $7 million in government food stamp benefits in a massive fraud scheme, the U.S. Attorney said Tuesday.
Antonio Bonheur, 74, of Mattapan, pleaded guilty in federal court on Monday to one count each of food stamp fraud and wire fraud, U.S. Attorney Leah Foley said in a statement. U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani scheduled sentencing for July 8.
While trafficking millions of dollars in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, government benefits, prosecutors said Bonheur was issued a SNAP card for himself by the Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance.
In applying for his SNAP benefits, Bonheur made multiple false statements about his income and assets, prosecutors said.
Bonheur was arrested and charged in December. As part of Monday’s plea, Bonheur agreed to forfeit nearly $400,000 in fraudulently obtained proceeds that were seized during the investigation.
0 of 17
Bonheur owned Jesula Variety Store, a small variety store within a single street-facing storefront in the city’s Mattapan neighborhood.
Prosecutors said his SNAP redemptions at his 150-square-foot store ranged from $100,000 to $500,000 each month, far outpacing full-service supermarkets, which redeem approximately $82,000 per month in SNAP benefits.
“They were not full-service groceries. It would be a huge stretch to even call them convenience stores. In fact, the only thing convenient about these stores was how easy it was to commit SNAP benefit fraud,” Foley said in December.
Bonheur also sold liquor and emergency food supplies intended for needy children overseas through the nonprofit Feed My Starving Children, prosecutors said.
According to the charging documents, despite the store’s limited size, inventory, and food offerings, Jesula Variety Store “exhibited extraordinarily high SNAP redemption volumes, far beyond what could reasonably be supported by legitimate food sales.”
Transaction data revealed that the store had exceptionally large and anomalous average monthly SNAP redemption rates when compared to similarly situated businesses of the same size, type, and location.
Specifically, Bonheur’s monthly SNAP redemptions for Jesula Variety Store regularly exceeded $100,000, with many months exceeding $300,000 and, at times, $500,000.
By comparison, one full-service supermarket in the same area redeems approximately $82,000 per month in SNAP benefits.
Transaction-level data also showed that only approximately 10% of SNAP transactions were for amounts under $40, while more than 70% of transactions exceeded $95.
Such transaction patterns are typically associated with large supermarkets, not small variety stores with limited food inventory, prosecutors said.
Undercover investigators found that SNAP benefits were trafficked for cash from the Jesula Variety Store at least four times.
In each instance, Bonheur worked the cash registers and personally exchanged SNAP benefits for cash. Prosecutors said Bonheur also sold liquor in exchange for SNAP benefits.
Jesula Variety Store also sold MannaPack meals, a donated food product manufactured by the nonprofit Feed My Starving Children.
Prosecutors said these meals are paid for entirely by charitable donations intended for shipment and distribution to food-insecure children overseas and are never authorized for retail sale.
Bonheur sold donated MannaPack meals in his store for approximately $8 per package, profiting from food intended for humanitarian relief.
Prosecutors said Jesula Variety Store carried little legitimate food inventory and generated minimal lawful revenue. Bonheur relied almost entirely on USDA-funded SNAP redemptions as his source of income.
To hide the nature and source of these funds, prosecutors said Bonheur maintained numerous secondary bank accounts through which SNAP proceeds were transferred, withdrawn as cash, and redeposited to create the appearance of legitimate business activity while obscuring the true source of funds.
For the charge of food stamp fraud greater than $5,000, Bonheur faces a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000.
For the charge of wire fraud, Bonheur faces a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
©2026 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/7QOJU3BNCJERBNKJC5LWTBYFLU.png)
