Influencer arrested in $4 million fraud scheme involving hundreds of fake SNAP accounts: prosecutor
Mercedes Reshard New, who goes by “Shawty Dred” online, is accused of controlling more than 350 fraudulent SNAP accounts between January 2020 and July 2026
NEED TO KNOW
- Mercedes Reshard New, who goes by “Shawty Dred” online, has been arrested after being indicted on federal fraud charges
- He is accused of stealing over $4 million in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, prosecutors said
- New often boasted about his extravagant lifestyle in posts on his Instagram account, which has more than 2 million followers
An influencer in Georgia was arrested in connection with the alleged theft of over $4 million in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia announced in a press release that Mercedes Reshard New, who goes by “Shawty Dred” online, was arrested on federal fraud charges on Oct. 13. The arrest followed an Oct. 7 indictment on 46 counts of mail fraud, 15 counts of aggravated identity theft, and one count each of SNAP fraud and illegal transactions with access devices, prosecutors said.
New obtained a large social media following by showing an extravagant lifestyle through posts on his Instagram account, which boasts more than 2 million followers.
He is accused of controlling more than 350 fraudulent SNAP accounts created using stolen identities between January 2020 and July 2026, according to the release.
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Prosecutors allege that the social media personality had SNAP EBT debit cards mailed to addresses across Atlanta, and had his own limited liability company enrolled as an authorized SNAP retailer.
He is accused of using the EBT cards and a point-of-sale device associated with his company to steal more than $660,000 in SNAP benefits between April 2025 and November 2025.
Approximately two weeks after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) revoked New’s store authorization in November 2025, local police officers arrested him on allegations of selling SNAP benefit cards at a metro Atlanta store, per the release.
Although police seized 14 of the cards during the arrest, New is alleged to have had replacement cards mailed to his store and other local addresses. Those cards, and others in New’s possession, were used to “siphon approximately $4 million from the accounts,” prosecutors allege.
PEOPLE reached out to an attorney for New for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
“New allegedly stole over $4 million meant for poor families who need help putting food on the table,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg in a press statement.
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“My office is fully committed to rooting out abuses of the SNAP program and holding accountable criminal con artists and scammers who appallingly seek to profit by stealing taxpayer money meant to feed vulnerable Americans,” Hertzberg’s statement continued.
In an order remanding New into custody until trial viewed by PEOPLE, Magistrate Judge J. Elizabeth McBath found that there was a “serious risk that the defendant will flee if released.”
An initial pre-trial conference in the case is set for Nov. 10.
