Five years on, Shawty Dred — real name Mercedes Reshard New — has been indicted in the Northern District of Georgia for allegedly stealing $4 million via SNAP fraud.
“Mr. ‘Shawty Dred’ allegedly stole food assistance benefits in Georgia from the poorest Americans,” USDA Inspector General John Walk said in a statement accompanying the indictment announcement. “He then flaunted his luxurious living off fraudulent proceeds on Instagram and TikTok.”
SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) fraud is, unfortunately, not uncommon, with a January USDA Inspector General report predicting $233 million in fraud losses for 2026.
But New’s alleged fraud spanned six years, leaving questions unanswered about both the duration and the wide scope of the operation — which allegedly included 350 different fake SNAP accounts.
‘Literally stole food out of children’s mouths’
Authorities in New’s case said his alleged 350 fake SNAP accounts “were created using stolen identities.” They also alleged that New had SNAP EBT cards — which recipients swipe at retailers to use their benefits — sent to addresses around Atlanta and that he even became a licensed SNAP retailer himself.
And despite allegedly stealing $660,000 in SNAP benefits, getting arrested for selling SNAP benefits, being found in possession of 14 EBT cards and having his SNAP store shut down in 2025, the statement says New still managed to get multiple new EBT cards mailed out to him.
All told, he “allegedly duped” the Georgia Department of Human Services (DHS) Division of Family & Children Services into giving him around $4.6 million in SNAP benefits through “fraudulently established beneficiary accounts” — from which authorities claim he pocketed $4 million. Authorities arrested him on Oct. 13.
When asked how New allegedly continued to get away with the fraud, a Georgia DHS spokesperson told Moneywise that they “cannot comment on open investigations or prosecutions,” but that “DHS continuously works on fraud prevention methodologies, including customer education, enhanced card security features, and more aggressive investigation capabilities in an effort to protect the integrity of the program and our customers’ benefits.”
Meanwhile, the indictment statement says New “flaunted his extravagant lifestyle” to his millions of social media followers, “flying on private jets, posing with ultra-luxury Rolls-Royce and Maybach vehicles [and] handling massive stacks of cash.”
