Rapper, influencer Shawty Dred indicted in SNAP investigation

The Justice Department, the Department of Agriculture and the USDA Office of Inspector General announced a nationwide enforcement effort that targeted alleged fraud involving SNAP and related USDA programs.Read more trending newsOfficials said the effort ran from Sept. 1 to Oct. 21 and led to action against more than 40 people in cases involving nearly $45 million in intended losses to the federal government. Nearly $42 million involved alleged SNAP benefits fraud, the Justice Department said in a news release.The Justice Department said 13 U.S. attorneys’ offices and the Utah Attorney General’s Office took part in what it called the department’s first National USDA Benefits and Program Fraud Enforcement Surge.One case filed in the Northern District of Georgia allegedly involved rapper and social media influencer Mercedes New, also known as Shawty Dred. The DOJ said he was accused of food stamp fraud, access device fraud, mail fraud, and aggravated identity theft. The investigation, ac