A longtime U.S. Department of Agriculture employee and five others have been charged in a sprawling fraud and bribery scheme that authorities say siphoned more than $66 million from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, commonly referred to as food stamps.
Federal prosecutors unsealed a superseding indictment on May 29, accusing Arlasa Davis, 56, of selling confidential license data from inside the USDA’s anti-fraud division to help a network of conspirators illegally obtain electronic benefit terminals. Davis is also charged with taking bribes disguised as “birthday gifts” and “flowers,” according to the indictment.
“Michael Kehoe and his co-conspirators misappropriated tens of millions of dollars in taxpayer funds meant to help low-income families put food on the table,” said U.S. Attorney Perry Carbone. “This fraud was made possible when USDA employee Arlasa Davis betrayed the public trust by selling confidential government information to the very criminals she was supposed to catch. Their actions undermined a program that vulnerable New Yorkers depend on for basic nutrition. These charges should be a reminder that those who exploit anti-poverty programs for personal gain will be held accountable for their crimes.”
Davis, of Gardiner, New York, is accused of taking photos of handwritten lists of license numbers with her personal phone and passing them to an intermediary who sold them to the defendants. Those license numbers were then used to obtain access to SNAP funds under false pretenses, allowing unauthorized stores such as smoke shops to process transactions meant only for eligible retailers.
According to the indictment, the scheme operated from 2019 onward and resulted in at least $36 million in fraudulent redemptions using the stolen license numbers. An additional $30 million was allegedly processed through unauthorized terminals submitted under fake USDA applications.
Kehoe, 46, of Long Island, is described as the alleged organizer of the network. Also charged are Mohamad Nawafleh, 34; Omar Alrawashdeh, 37; Gamal Obaid, 39; and Emad Alrawashdeh, 37—all from the Bronx.
Each of the six defendants is charged with conspiracy to steal government funds, theft of government funds, and misappropriation of USDA benefits. Davis also faces charges of conspiracy to commit bribery, bribery, and conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud.
“This alleged scheme benefited the defendants while undermining critical safeguards designed to ensure that SNAP assistance reaches only eligible families in need,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge Christopher G. Raia. “The FBI will never tolerate any individual who exploits federal financial assistance for personal reward.”
Prosecutors say Davis worked in the USDA division specifically tasked with identifying SNAP fraud, and her cooperation was essential to the long-running scheme. Officials from the USDA’s Office of Inspector General said they worked closely with the FBI throughout the investigation.
In an appearance Thursday morning on Fox News, USDA Secretary Brooke Collins called the case “if not the largest, one of the largest” food stamp fraud stings in U.S. history.”
“Almost $70 million—that is no longer going to be allowed here in Washington and with these programs like the Food Stamp Program,” Collins said in a clip of the interview she posted on her X account. “This is not the one and only. There are gonna be many more to come, and we’re gonna make sure that we’re delivering on our promises to the taxpayers.”
She added that the department is working in partnership with the FBI and DOJ and that rooting out “waste, fraud, and abuse” at the agency remains a top priority under the Trump administration.
The charges were announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Georgia V. Kostopoulos and Joe Zabel and is assigned to U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff.
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