Vice President JD Vance announced Wednesday a nationwide enforcement operation targeting more than 40 defendants in cases involving nearly $42 million in alleged or proven food assistance fraud, as the Trump administration intensifies its efforts to combat the misuse of taxpayer dollars.

The coordinated crackdown involved the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division, the Agriculture Department, the USDA Office of Inspector General, 13 U.S. attorneys’ offices, and the Utah Attorney General’s Office. Federal authorities said enforcement actions conducted between Sept. 1 and Oct. 21 addressed schemes involving nearly $45 million in intended losses across the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and other agricultural assistance programs.

The cases include indictments, criminal complaints, guilty pleas, and sentencing. Attorney General Todd Blanche said the schemes diverted money intended to help Americans struggling to afford groceries. “These schemes siphoned millions from taxpayers and robbed struggling Americans of the benefits they depend on, so fraudsters could use them for their own selfish purposes,” Blanche said.

According to administration figures, the latest cases bring the total SNAP fraud identified by Vance’s anti-fraud task force to about $641 million. SNAP provides eligible low-income households with monthly grocery assistance through electronic benefits transfer (EBT) cards.

The largest case announced Wednesday involves Jorag Yaseen and Rami Kanaan, who prosecutors allege operated authorized food stores in Chicago and used stolen EBT account information to process thousands of fraudulent transactions. Investigators estimate the scheme involved approximately $29.7 million in losses. Prosecutors allege the transactions were made to look like legitimate food purchases even though no actual sales took place. Some of the proceeds allegedly financed automobile purchases for use and shipment overseas. Yaseen and Kanaan face charges including wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The allegations have not been proven in court.

Another prominent case involves Georgia rapper and social media influencer Mercedes New, known as Shawty Dred, who was indicted Oct. 7 on charges including food stamp fraud, mail fraud, access device fraud, and aggravated identity theft. Investigators linked more than 500 Georgia EBT cards to New and estimated that approximately $4.4 million in benefits had been stolen. Authorities said phone numbers associated with her contacted the automated SNAP telephone system more than 9,000 times, accessing over 350 accounts. New was arrested in Las Vegas on Oct. 13.

Federal prosecutors also highlighted cases involving the theft of food benefits to purchase infant formula for resale. In Oregon, Ana Patricia Escalante was sentenced Sept. 9 to 27 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $2.4 million in restitution for leading a crew that collected and transported merchandise purchased with stolen benefits. Court documents showed that the conspiracy shipped more than 124,000 pounds of infant formula. Twelve defendants have been sentenced in the case, receiving a combined 157 months in prison.

In Michigan, Kirk Deshaun Woodley pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in a scheme involving personal information belonging to more than 650 victims. His co-conspirator, Chantel LaShawn Peavy, was sentenced Tuesday to 18 months in prison. The scheme involved approximately $1.1 million in intended losses. Separate cases in Michigan and Ohio involved allegations that retailers improperly exchanged SNAP benefits for cash, marijuana, or other ineligible items.

In Pennsylvania, an indictment charged four defendants in an alleged scheme involving the exploitation of intellectually disabled women and the control of their Social Security and SNAP benefits. The charges include kidnapping, fraud, and transportation of individuals for illicit sexual activity.

The enforcement operation also targeted fraud involving agricultural assistance. Florida farmer Mark Frisbie pleaded guilty Sept. 29 to submitting false crop-insurance claims after concealing more than $6 million in crop sales. Prosecutors said the false claims resulted in approximately $1.75 million in improper insurance payments. Frisbie also admitted defrauding two farmer relief programs and agreed to pay approximately $1.51 million in restitution to the Farm Service Agency.

Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald emphasized that benefit theft can directly affect families who depend on government assistance to purchase food. “The human cost of these fraud schemes is measured not in spreadsheets but in the panic of a mother whose card is declined and the hunger her children endure because someone hijacked their benefits,” McDonald said.

The administration also reported broader enforcement efforts against retailers suspected of abusing SNAP. More than 1,000 retailers have been banned from the program, while nearly 5,000 others have been suspended and fined a combined $44 million for administrative violations. Officials estimate that destroying more than 2,200 illegal point-of-sale devices and disabling more than 2,000 compromised retailer authorization numbers prevented more than $5 billion in potential fraudulent transactions.

The crackdown follows President Donald Trump’s announcement Tuesday of a whistleblower incentive program intended to encourage Americans to report government fraud. Under the Justice Department program, qualifying tips that lead to criminal charges may result in discretionary payments ranging from $10,000 to $30,000, with additional awards potentially available through other programs.

The administration has made combating government waste and fraud a priority, with the latest enforcement actions spanning food assistance, identity theft, retail violations, and agricultural insurance. Authorities continue to investigate the cases, and defendants facing pending charges are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.