Vance Task Force Says Feds Uncovered Nearly $42 Million in SNAP Fraud, With More Than 40 Defendants Facing Action

Vice President JD Vance said Wednesday that a nationwide crackdown has uncovered nearly $42 million in alleged food stamp fraud since Sept. 1, with enforcement actions against more than 40 defendants.

Vance made the announcement at the FBI’s Cincinnati field office alongside Attorney General Todd Blanche, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported. Vance chairs the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud.

The Justice Department said its first National USDA Benefits and Program Fraud Enforcement Surge involved its Fraud Division, 13 U.S. attorney’s offices and the Utah attorney general’s office. Alleged or proven schemes caused nearly $45 million in intended losses.

Nearly $42 million of that involved the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the department said. Another case involved attempted fraud against a USDA crop insurance program. The department’s announcement described the surge as involving suspected illegal aliens.

“We have way too much fraud in the SNAP program,” Vance said, according to Fox19. He said some people “will steal from the mouths of hungry children in order to enrich themselves,” the Washington Examiner reported.

Blanche put the figure in perspective, saying 220,000 Americans could have eaten for the entire month of October if not for the $42 million in fraud, Fox19 reported.

The largest case highlighted is in Ohio. Prosecutors allege Jorag Yaseen and Rami Kanaan used retail food stores to process thousands of transactions with stolen EBT account information, causing a loss of about $29.7 million, according to Fox19.

The pair face charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Prosecutors also allege they used some of the money to buy vehicles for use and shipment overseas.

The charges are allegations. The Justice Department noted that all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.

“Every instance of SNAP fraud has two victims: families in dire need and taxpayers,” Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said in the Justice Department’s release.

The task force says the latest cases bring the SNAP fraud it has uncovered to $641 million, Fox News reported. More than 1,000 retailers have been banned from the program, and nearly 5,000 others have been suspended and fined.

Officials have also destroyed more than 2,200 illegal point-of-sale devices and disabled more than 2,000 compromised retailer numbers, steps they estimate prevented more than $5 billion in potential fraudulent transactions, according to a source cited by Fox News.

Recovering stolen money is harder. “Getting money back is very hard,” Vance told Fox News Digital in August, adding that the most effective step is stopping payments before they go out.

Vance and Blanche want lawmakers to toughen penalties for fraud to deter future schemes, Fox19 reported.

The announcement came a day after President Trump unveiled a fraud whistleblower program offering tipsters a 1% commission. Trump said he would personally determine the awards, the Washington Examiner reported.

During the Ohio swing, Vance also stood by his decision not to endorse Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whom Trump has backed, saying he is done endorsing foreign candidates, the Times of Israel reported.

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