(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) A federal employee and five individuals have been indicted in what the Trump-led DOJ called “the largest food stamp fraud” in the nation’s history.
Prosecutors alleged on Thursday that Arlasa Davis, a staffer at the Department of Agriculture, participated in a fraud scheme that resulted in the theft of more than $66 million in SNAP benefits—colloquially known as food stamps.
Davis allegedly exploited her privileged access to federal systems to sell hundreds of EBT license numbers. These numbers are needed for certain authorized stores to process EBT payments.
According to court documents, the scheme began in 2019 when Davis photographed handwritten merchant numbers meant for authorized stores and passed them to an intermediary.
These numbers were then sold to co-conspirators Michael Kehoe, Mohamad Nawafleh, Omar Alrawashdeh, Gamal Obaid and Emad Alrawashdeh.
These individuals used the illegally obtained license numbers to set up EBT terminals at stores not approved by the USDA, including smoke shops, and redeemed $36 million in fraudulent SNAP benefits.
Kehoe appears to be accused of running a separate network that funneled $30 million in benefits through 160 unauthorized outlets. He submitted some 200 fraudulent applications for EBT terminals.
The schemes proved profitable for Davis, who the DOJ said received large bribes disguised in communications as “birthday gifts” and “flowers.”
DOGE: USDA Employee And Five Others Charged In Multimillion-Dollar Food Stamp Fraud And Bribery Scheme. The defendants, MICHAEL KEHOE, MOHAMAD NAWAFLEH, OMAR ALRAWASHDEH, GAMAL OBAID, EMAD ALRAWASHDEH, and ARLASA DAVIS, are charged with conspiracy to steal government funds and to… pic.twitter.com/hQJMCmauNp
— @amuse (@amuse) May 29, 2025
All six defendants were each charged with one count of conspiracy to steal government funds and misappropriate USDA benefits, one count of theft of government funds and one count of misappropriation of USDA benefits. These charges cap a combined maximum sentence of 35 years.
Meanwhile, Davis was additionally charged with conspiracy to commit bribery, one count of bribery and one count of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud, reaching a total maximum of 40 years in prison if found guilty.
Nawafleh was separately charged with one count of failure to appear, facing a maximum of 10 years in prison.
These stunning charges follow President Donald Trump’s vow to root out fraud within the federal government. “This is a new day, and President Trump promised, as he was traveling across the country over the last few years, that it would not be the government that we know,” USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins said in an interview with Fox News.
Waste, fraud, and abuse is NO LONGER tolerated in Washington under @POTUS’ leadership.
We are rooting out fraud in SNAP/Food Stamps & across @USDA programs – keeping our promise to taxpayers. 🤝 pic.twitter.com/DlgVgoJMC0
— Secretary Brooke Rollins (@SecRollins) May 30, 2025
