ATLANTA – Social media personality Mercedes Reshard New, also known as “Shawty Dred,” who boasts 2 million Instagram followers, was arrested on federal charges for fraudulently obtaining more than $4 million in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.
“Dred, allegedly stole over $4 million meant for poor families who need help putting food on the table,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “My office is fully committed to rooting out abuses of the SNAP program and holding accountable criminal con artists and scammers who appallingly seek to profit by stealing taxpayer money meant to feed vulnerable Americans.”
“Mr. ‘Shawty Dred’ allegedly stole food assistance benefits in Georgia from the poorest Americans. He then flaunted his luxurious living off fraudulent proceeds on Instagram and TikTok like there’s nothing ‘New’ under the sun,” said USDA Inspector General John Walk. “But in alignment with the leaderships of VP Vance and the WH Task Force on Fraud, we don’t look the other way when fraudsters get rich off exploiting poverty and cheat the compassion of American taxpayers. USDA OIG is proud to work with its partners to bring fraudsters like Mercedes New to justice.”
“Instead of this money feeding families in need, New allegedly used the cash to bankroll a life of luxury,” said Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta Marlo Graham. “The FBI will aggressively pursue anyone who exploits these much-needed programs for personal gain.”
According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the indictment, and other information presented in court: SNAP is a federal program administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that provides monthly benefits to low-income households to pay for food. In Georgia, the SNAP program is administered by the Georgia Department of Human Services, Division of Family & Children Services (DFCS). Individuals must apply through DFCS to open a SNAP account, and approved beneficiaries are mailed an electronic benefit transfer (EBT) debit card. SNAP beneficiaries purchase eligible food items by swiping the EBT debit card at authorized retailers, and they are prohibited from selling or trading SNAP benefits.
Between January 2020 and July 2026, New allegedly controlled more than 350 fraudulent SNAP accounts that were created using stolen identities. He allegedly caused SNAP EBT debit cards to be mailed to various metro Atlanta addresses and allegedly 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, USDA revoked New’s store authorization. Approximately two weeks later, local police officers arrested New for allegedly selling SNAP benefits at a metro Atlanta store. Officers seized from New 14 EBT debit cards issued to other people.
After police seized the 14 EBT cards, New caused replacement cards to be mailed to his store address and other addresses in the Atlanta area.
Over the course of the scheme, New allegedly duped DFCS into transferring approximately $4,600,000 in SNAP benefits to fraudulently established beneficiary accounts. EBT debit cards were used to siphon approximately $4 million from the accounts.
For years, New has flaunted his extravagant lifestyle on social media. Posts to his Instagram account, richlifeshawtydred, which has more than two million followers, depict him flying on private jets, posing with ultra-luxury Rolls-Royce and Maybach vehicles, handling massive stacks of cash, and denouncing other people as “broke motherf****s.”
On October 7, 2026, a federal grand jury indicted Mercedes Reshard New, a/k/a “Shawty Dred,” 39, of Atlanta, Georgia, on 46 counts of mail fraud, 15 counts of aggravated identity theft, and one count each of SNAP fraud and illegal transactions with access devices. New was arrested on October 13, 2026, and remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending further proceedings.
Members of the public are reminded that the indictment only contains charges. The defendant is presumed innocent of the charges, and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
This case is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with valuable assistance from the Georgia Department of Human Services, Office of Inspector General.
Assistant United States Attorney Tracia M. King is prosecuting the case.
On April 7, 2026, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (Fraud Division). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within federal benefit programs.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6185. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
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