“SNAP benefits should go to Americans, not fraudsters or illegal immigrants,” White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud Executive Director Scott Brady said.
The Trump administration has stopped more than $5.8 billion in SNAP fraud since taking office, and its latest sweep just hit New York City, where hundreds of undercover investigations led to enforcement action against 170 retailers across all five boroughs.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced “Operation SNAP Back” on Friday as part of a broader push against retailer fraud in the nearly $100 billion Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
“This is just the latest action in the Trump Administration’s fight against fraud. The message is clear, if you accept any portion of an annual $100 billion taxpayer program, you must follow the rules or face the consequences,” Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said. “We owe it to every American taxpayer to safeguard their hard-earned dollars, and these latest enforcement actions are just a small part of the Food and Nutrition Administration’s efforts to remove criminals and bad actors from food stamps.”
The cases involve SNAP trafficking, where benefits are exchanged for cash, along with retailers accused of allowing benefits to be used for alcohol and other ineligible non-food items. USDA says penalties can range from temporary suspension to permanent disqualification and monetary fines. Several cases were also referred to the USDA Office of Inspector General for possible criminal investigation and prosecution.
Investigators used undercover purchases at stores suspected of violating SNAP rules. Some retailers were caught exchanging benefits for cash, while others allegedly processed transactions for prohibited products.
“SNAP benefits should go to Americans, not fraudsters or illegal immigrants,” White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud Executive Director Scott Brady said. “And thanks to Secretary Rollins, such waste and abuse will stop.”
The USDA release does not say that the enforcement actions against the 170 retailers involved immigration offenses. The announced violations center on retailer trafficking and purchases of ineligible products.
USDA says the New York sweep is part of a much larger fraud crackdown. Since the beginning of the Trump administration, the department says it has disqualified or suspended nearly 6,000 retailers and disabled or blocked more than 2,000 illegal point-of-sale devices.
New York follows earlier enforcement actions. USDA announced enforcement proceedings against 19 SNAP retailers in Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Columbus in June after a joint operation with Ohio investigators. A month later, federal investigators executed warrants in Los Angeles, and USDA sent formal charge letters to 33 SNAP retailers accused of trafficking benefits or selling prohibited items such as alcohol and tobacco.
For the New York stores, USDA’s announcement is the beginning of the enforcement process for some of the retailers, not a declaration that all 170 have been criminally convicted. Administrative sanctions can still mean permanent removal from SNAP, while the cases sent to the inspector general could go considerably further.
https://legalinsurrection.com/2026/09/usda-targets-170-nyc-retailers-in-snap-fraud-sweep/
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