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Georgia Social Media Star Allegedly Siphons $4,000,000 in Food Benefits Through 350+ Fake SNAP Accounts
Oct 24, 2026, 09:15 UTC
Markets
Oct 24, 2026, 09:15 UTC
Oct 24, 2026, 09:15 UTC2 min read
A Georgia social media personality is accused of stealing more than $4 million in food assistance benefits meant for low-income families.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia says Mercedes Reshard New, 39, of Atlanta, who goes by “Shawty Dred” online, allegedly controlled more than 350 fraudulent Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) accounts opened with stolen identities between January of 2020 and July of 2026.
Prosecutors say New had the EBT debit cards tied to those accounts mailed to addresses around metro Atlanta.
He also allegedly got his company, Shawty Dred LLC, approved as an authorized SNAP retailer and used its card reader to swipe more than $660,000 in benefits between April of 2024 and November of 2025.
The USDA pulled the store’s authorization in November 2025, and local police arrested New about two weeks later for allegedly selling SNAP benefits at a metro Atlanta store and seizing 14 EBT cards issued to other people.
Prosecutors say New then had replacement cards sent to his store and other Atlanta-area addresses.
In total, New allegedly tricked Georgia’s Division of Family & Children Services into loading about $4.6 million into the fake accounts, and roughly $4 million was drained.
Prosecutors say his Instagram account, which has more than two million followers, shows him flying on private jets, posing with Rolls-Royce and Maybach vehicles and holding large stacks of cash.
Says U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg,
“New allegedly stole over $4 million meant for poor families who need help putting food on the table. 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.”
A federal grand jury indicted New on October 7th 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.
He was arrested on October 13th and is in U.S. Marshals Service custody.
