An Atlanta rapper and social media influencer who repeatedly posted videos of himself burning cash, posing with stacks of money, luxury Rolls-Royces, and private jets has been indicted on dozens of federal charges for allegedly stealing millions in taxpayer-funded food stamp benefits meant for struggling families.
Mercedes Reshard New, 39, who performs and posts under the name Shawty Dred (Instagram: richlifeshawtydred, more than 2 million followers), was indicted October 7 by a federal grand jury in the Northern District of Georgia on 46 counts of mail fraud, 15 counts of aggravated identity theft, one count of SNAP fraud, and one count of illegal transactions with access devices.
He was arrested on October 13 and remanded to U.S. Marshals custody, FOX5 Atlanta reported.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia, New allegedly controlled more than 350 fraudulent Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) accounts created with stolen identities between January 2020 and July 2026.
Prosecutors say he had EBT debit cards mailed to various metro Atlanta addresses and registered his company, Shawty Dred LLC, as an authorized SNAP retailer.
Between April 2024 and November 2025, he allegedly used those cards and a point-of-sale device tied to the LLC to steal more than $660,000.
Overall, the scheme is accused of diverting roughly $4.6 million into fraudulent accounts, with about $4 million siphoned via the cards. Some reports link more than 500 Georgia EBT cards to him.
In November 2025, the USDA revoked the store’s authorization. Shortly afterward, local police arrested New at a Walmart in East Point, Georgia, for allegedly soliciting customers to buy SNAP benefits and seized 14 EBT cards in other people’s names. Investigators say he then ordered replacement cards to keep the operation going.
The probe was aided by data showing a phone number linked to New accessing Georgia’s SNAP interactive voice response system more than 9,000 times across more than 350 accounts.
New’s social media presence featured private jets, high-end vehicles including Rolls-Royce and Maybach models, massive stacks of cash, and posts denouncing others as “broke motherf****s.” One widely circulated image shows him lighting a dollar bill on fire while surrounded by piles of cash.
ALERT: Rapper who flaunted money and even lit it on fire busted in a $42 million fraud scheme exposed by a Vice President JD Vance task force.
Mercedes New, also known as rapper, influencer, and apparent adult content creator Shawty Dred, was charged with dozens of fraud charges as part of the Trump administration’s crackdown on food stamp fraud.
New, from 2020 to 2026, allegedly defrauded the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by using over 350 fake accounts based on stolen identities from the Georgia Department of Human Services, Division of Family & Children Services.
New then obtained hundreds of fraudulent SNAP EBT debit cards that he had sent to multiple addresses in the Atlanta area.
Prosecutors indicted New on 46 counts of mail fraud, 15 counts of aggravated identity theft, and one count of food stamp fraud in his $4.6 million part of the $42 million bust.
— E X X ➠A L E R T S (@ExxAlerts) October 21, 2026
Vice President JD Vance, speaking at a Cincinnati press conference with the task force he chairs, specifically called out the case: “This is a man that we have connected to $4.4 million in fraud against the SNAP program. A guy who is quite literally taking food from the mouths of children so that he can enrich himself… SNAP exists to help hungry children eat. It does not exist to provide private jets to a guy like Shawty Dred.”
Vance noted that New’s own Instagram posts helped connect the lifestyle to the fraud proceeds.
Vice President JD Vance on alleged fraudster Shawty Dred:
“This is a man that we have connected to $4.4 million in fraud against the SNAP program. A guy who is quite literally taking food from the mouths of children so that he can enrich himself… We have prosecuted this guy and prosecuted so many other fraudsters, and we’re going to keep on doing it. Because one of the most important lessons we can send is that you shouldn’t be able to, and you can’t get rich off of fraud. SNAP exists to help hungry children eat. It does not exist to provide private jets to a guy like Shawty Dred.”
— Vice President JD Vance (@VP) October 21, 2026
New has prior local trouble. In September 2022, Atlanta police arrested him after neighbors and workers reported he repeatedly exposed himself and urinated off the balcony of a midtown high-rise apartment while naked. He reportedly told officers, “I’m famous! I’m on TV, bruh.” Neighbors said the problem was so frequent that some considered carrying umbrellas when walking below.
The post BUSTED! Rapper Who Flaunted Stacks of Cash and Set Money on Fire Arrested in $4.4 Million Food Stamp Fraud Scheme as JD Vance Task Force Uncovers Nearly $42 Million in SNAP Fraud appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.