Saul Alisme

Introduction

Saul Alisme, 25, of the Hyde Park neighborhood of Boston, has pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of food stamp fraud for fraudulently obtaining millions of dollars’ worth of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits through small retail stores he operated in Boston . US District Court Judge Indira Talwani scheduled his sentencing for 10 February 2027; he was charged in December 2025 . The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney Leah B. Foley together with federal inspectors and Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox .

Background Information

Alisme owned Saul Mache Mixe Store, a small variety store occupying approximately 500 square feet within a single street-facing storefront in the Mattapan neighborhood of Boston . According to the charging documents, despite its limited size, inventory and food offerings, the store exhibited extraordinarily high SNAP redemption volumes, far beyond what could reasonably be supported by legitimate food sales, with exceptionally large and anomalous average monthly redemption rates compared with similarly situated businesses of the same size, type and location .

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Guilty plea; sentencing scheduled for February 2027.

Transaction-level data showed that only approximately 10 percent of the store’s SNAP transactions were for amounts under $40, while more than 70 percent exceeded $95 — patterns typically associated with large supermarkets, not a small variety store with limited food inventory . During undercover operations at Saul Mache Mixe Store, SNAP benefits were trafficked for cash on two occasions, and in each instance Alisme worked the cash register and personally exchanged SNAP benefits for cash; the store was also observed selling liquor in exchange for SNAP benefits . The store also sold MannaPack meals, a donated product manufactured by the nonprofit Feed My Starving Children that is paid for entirely by charitable donations intended for food-insecure children overseas and never authorized for retail sale — Alisme sold the donated meals at approximately $8 per package, profiting from food intended for humanitarian relief . Because the store carried little legitimate food inventory and generated minimal lawful revenue, the charging documents state that Alisme relied almost entirely on USDA-funded SNAP redemptions as his source of income .

Public Reaction and Consequences

The plea was announced by US Attorney Foley; Charmeka Parker, Special Agent in Charge of the US Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General’s Northeast Region; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Division; and Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox . The charge of food stamp fraud greater than $100 provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000, and Alisme is subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed . The announcement tied the case to the district’s Benefit & Voter Fraud Team created in March 2026 and to the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division, part of the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance .

Current Status

Alisme has pleaded guilty and awaits sentencing before Judge Talwani on 10 February 2027, facing up to five years’ imprisonment, supervised release and a $250,000 fine, with deportation to follow any sentence . The plea admitted the scheme through his own store: benefits traded for cash at the register, liquor sold for SNAP dollars, and donated charity meals resold at a markup .

Impact on Their Career/Life

A 500-square-foot storefront became the vehicle for a multi-million-dollar raid on the food-stamp program: the pleading admitted that Alisme’s income came almost entirely from USDA-funded redemptions rather than legitimate sales, and the conviction now carries prison exposure, a felony fraud record, and deportation after any sentence is served . His retail business is the subject of a federal fraud prosecution publicized as a warning to benefit-program traffickers .

Sources

• “Massachusetts Man Pleads Guilty to Multi-Million-Dollar SNAP Fraud” — US Attorney’s Office, District of Massachusetts / justice.gov, November 2026: source