ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — An Atlanta social media influencer is accused of stealing millions of dollars in SNAP benefits, prosecutors said Wednesday. Mercedes Reshard New, aka “Shawty Dred,” was indicted on federal charges for fraudulently obtaining more than $4 million in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia. Between January 2020 and July 2026, New allegedly controlled more than 350 fake SNAP accounts, which were created using stolen identities. Prosecutors said New allegedly had SNAP EBT debit cards mailed to various metro Atlanta addresses, and applied for his limited liability company, Shawty Dred LLC, to become an authorized SNAP retailer. Between April 2024 and November 2025, New allegedly used fraudulently obtained EBT debit cards and “a point-of-sale device associated with Shawty Dred LLC” to steal more than $660,000 in SNAP benefits. In November 2025, the U.S. Department of Agriculture revoked New’s store authorization. Around two weeks later, local police officers arrested New for allegedly selling SNAP benefits at a metro Atlanta store, the U.S. attorney’s office said. Officers reportedly seized 14 EBT debit cards from New, which had been issued to other people. New then allegedly had replacement cards mailed to his store address and other addresses in the Atlanta area. Investigators said the scheme diverted $4.6 million in SNAP funds. The EBT debit cards…
*This content (including text, artwork, graphics, photography, and video) was provided by the third party(ies) as referenced above. Any rights or other content questions or inquiries should be directed to such third-party provider(s).
