Atlanta Instagram Personality ‘Shawty Dred’ Indicted in $4 Million SNAP Fraud Case
Prosecutors say Mercedes Reshard New controlled more than 350 fake SNAP accounts built on stolen identities and siphoned about $4 million in food aid.
An Atlanta social media personality known online as “Shawty Dred” has been indicted on federal charges accusing him of running a years-long scheme that drained about $4 million in food assistance meant for low-income families.
A federal grand jury indicted Mercedes Reshard New, 39, of Atlanta, on Oct. 7, 2026, and he was arrested on Oct. 13, 2026, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia said on Oct. 21, 2026. He faces 46 counts of mail fraud, 15 counts of aggravated identity theft, and one count each of SNAP fraud and illegal transactions with access devices. The allegations have not been proven in court.
What SNAP is and how the scheme allegedly worked
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, is a federal program that gives low-income households monthly benefits to buy food. In Georgia, people apply through the state’s Division of Family & Children Services, which mails approved recipients an electronic benefit transfer, or EBT, card.
Between January 2020 and July 2026, New controlled more than 350 fraudulent SNAP accounts that were created with stolen identities, prosecutors said. He had EBT cards mailed to addresses around metro Atlanta and applied for his company, Shawty Dred LLC, to become an authorized SNAP retailer, according to the indictment and other court information described by the office.
From April 2024 to November 2025, New used the fraudulently obtained cards and a card reader tied to his company to take more than $660,000 in benefits, prosecutors said.
Store authorization pulled, then a local arrest
The U.S. Department of Agriculture revoked his store’s authorization in November 2025, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. About two weeks later, local police arrested New on accusations of selling SNAP benefits at a metro Atlanta store and seized 14 EBT cards issued to other people.
After that, New had replacement cards mailed to his store and to other Atlanta-area addresses, prosecutors said. Over the course of the scheme, they said, the state was duped into moving about $4.6 million in benefits into the fake accounts, and about $4 million was taken out.
Jets, Rolls-Royces and stacks of cash online
Prosecutors pointed to New’s social media. His Instagram account, which has more than 2 million followers, shows him flying on private jets, posing with Rolls-Royce and Maybach vehicles and handling stacks of cash, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. FOX 5 Atlanta and CBS News Atlanta reported the same figures from the indictment.
“New allegedly stole over $4 million meant for poor families who need help putting food on the table,” U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg said.
What happens next
New was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending further proceedings, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. The USDA Office of Inspector General and the FBI investigated the case, with help from the Georgia Department of Human Services’ inspector general. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracia M. King is prosecuting it.
