Vance’s Anti-Fraud Task Force Racks Up Wins Against SNAP Fraud
Vice President J.D. Vance's anti-fraud task force has led raids on Minnesota retailers and launched investigations into $150 million in nutrition assistance payments to deceased recipients in Puerto Rico.
J.D. Vance’s task force has overseen multiple high-profile operations aimed at protecting American taxpayers and genuine recipients of nutritional aid. A spokesperson for the Vice President told Breitbart News that the administration is working around the clock to ensure tax dollars serve American families rather than fraudsters.
On April 16, the Department of Agriculture announced Operation Cold SNAP, a coordinated enforcement action in which agents from Homeland Security Investigations and the USDA Office of the Inspector General executed search warrants at 20 SNAP retailers in Minneapolis and St. Paul suspected of benefit trafficking.
USDA Inspector General John Walk stated at the time that fraudulent SNAP retailers steal from vulnerable victims including children who depend on federal nutrition assistance, while dishonoring the charity of American taxpayers who fund the programs. Walk emphasized that his office will continue working hand-in-hand with federal law enforcement partners in the war on fraud and hold criminals accountable.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins praised Operation Cold SNAP as a huge success powered by Vance’s task force.
On May 6, Walk announced an investigation into findings by Puerto Rico Comptroller Carmen Vega Fournier that dead people received $150 million in Puerto Rico Nutrition Assistance Program benefits between 2017 and 2024.
The funds were administered by the USDA, and the NAP program operates similarly to SNAP. According to the Comptroller’s March 2026 report, 38,618 NAP participants were not alive when benefits were paid out during that seven-year period.
Walk expressed gratitude for the Comptroller’s work in uncovering the fraud, noting that proper authorities can now ensure federal food assistance reaches eligible recipients rather than those exploiting the dead.
The Department of Justice has also moved aggressively to prosecute alleged SNAP fraud. On April 20, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio announced the indictment of five men accused of scheming to steal nearly $1 million in SNAP benefits.
The five defendants—all Romanian nationals—are Ionut Ilie, Constantin Eugen Ion, Valentin Velicu, Dragos Georghie Vasile, and Marian Alexandru Semplican. They face charges including Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud and Mail Fraud, Conspiracy to Commit Access Device Fraud, Conspiracy to Commit Identity Theft, and Sale or Receipt of Stolen Government Monies.
On May 7, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island announced an indictment against Felipe Almonte Polanco, a previously convicted felon who allegedly used stolen identities to fraudulently receive SNAP benefits between 2021 and 2026.
The indictment alleges that Polanco made balance inquiries on Rhode Island EBT cards associated with at least 18 stolen identities and personally used cards issued in the names of at least nine victims. Investigators executing a search warrant at Polanco’s residence recovered multiple EBT cards and materials used to create identification cards. The scheme netted Polanco approximately $69,000 in fraudulent SNAP benefits.
During an anti-fraud task force roundtable at the White House campus on Wednesday, Vance stressed that fraud is not a victimless crime. The Vice President emphasized that the task force protects two classes of victims: American taxpayers whose money should not be stolen by fraudsters, and people who genuinely need these services.
With information from Breitbart News
