Vance-led task force set to unveil charges against 40-plus defendants in alleged $40M SNAP fraud

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: Vice President JD Vance will announce today that thefederal anti-fraud task forcehe leads has identified $40 million in welfare fraud and more than 40 suspects behind the alleged schemes.

�s continued crackdown on rampant fraud across the country.

The latest discovery brings the amount of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) fraud Vance’s team has uncovered to $641 million.More than 1,000 retailers have been banned from the program for violations including criminal trafficking of benefits, while nearly 5,000 others have been suspended and fined a combined $44 million for administrative violations.

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Vice President JD Vance speaks during White House anti-fraud news conference.

Vice President JD Vance spoke during a news conference on anti-fraud initiatives in the Indian Treaty Room of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on May 13, 2026, in Washington, D.C.The Trump administration warned states they could lose Medicaid funding if they fail to comply with federal anti-fraud statutes.(Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The administration has destroyed more than 2,200 illegal point-of-sale devices and disabled more than 2,000 compromised retailer authorization numbers.Officials estimate those actions have prevented more than $5 billion in potential fraudulent transactions, according to the source.

SNAPis a federally funded food assistance program that helps eligible low-income households buy groceries.Benefits are loaded monthly onto an electronic benefits transfer (EBT) card, which recipients can use at authorized retailers to purchase qualifying food.

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Criminal charges brought against the defendants, however, do not guarantee the government can recover the funds.

An EBT sign is displayed on the window of a grocery store on Oct.30, 2025, in the Flatbush neighborhood of the Brooklyn borough in New York City.(Michael M.Santiago/Getty Images)

“Getting money back is very hard,” Vance said.“Once it’s gone out the door, it’s very hard to get it back.”

“What we’ve done most effectively is actually just stop the money from going out the door in the first place, because that’s the only real way to ensure the American people don’t lose it.”

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The task force has reported $260.7 billion infraud uncovered since Trump took office, and $72 billion in fraud stopped on an annualized basis.

President Donald Trump sits at the Resolute Desk surrounded by JD Vance, Nick Shirley and officials during a fraud task force announcement

President Donald Trump joins Vice President JD Vance, independent journalist Nick Shirley and administration officials for an Oval Office announcement unveiling fraud whistleblower incentives on Oct.20, 2026.(Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

The news comes just a day after Vance andindependent journalist Nick Shirleyjoined President Donald Trump in the Oval Office to announce the administration will be offering Americans, including journalists, cash rewards for tips that help bring fraudsters to justice.

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Trump unveiled theFraud Whistleblower Incentive Programand said qualifying tipsters would receive a 1% commission, subject to applicable laws and rules.

“If you turn somebody in and you, let’s say report, and you find $1 billion, we are giving a commission to that person of 1%,” Trump said.

At the end of last year, reports and social media coverage by Shirley exposed a network of daycare centers, like the “Quality Learing (sic) Center,” that were allegedly fraudulent and operated mostly by Somali immigrants.

Quality Learning Center sign outside a building in Minnesota

Quality Learning Center in Minnesota was identified as the center of an alleged childcare fraud scandal in the state.

The reports sparked swift action from the administration, and former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem deployedDHS and ICE agentsto the streets of Minneapolis to catch and deport Somali immigrants in the country illegally.The deployment sparked a clash between local residents and federal agents that exploded into violent riots across the Twin Cities.

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Trump has previously praised Shirley’s work, telling him: “He’s done an amazing job.”