Atlanta Influencer Shawty Dred Indicted in Alleged $4 Million SNAP Fraud Scheme, Called Out by JD Vance

Federal prosecutors say Atlanta social media personality Mercedes Reshard New, 39, known as Shawty Dred, used 350+ fake SNAP accounts to siphon about $4 million. He was indicted Oct. 7 on 63 counts and arrested Oct. 13. The charges are allegations.

Atlanta social media personality Shawty Dred is in federal custody, accused of stealing millions in food stamp money.

Federal prosecutors say Mercedes Reshard New, 39, known online as "Shawty Dred," controlled more than 350 fake SNAP accounts built on stolen identities between January 2020 and July 2026. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia says the scheme got Georgia's Division of Family & Children Services to load about $4.6 million in benefits onto those accounts, and about $4 million was pulled out with EBT cards.

Prosecutors also say New got his company, Shawty Dred LLC, approved as a SNAP retailer and used its card reader to swipe more than $660,000 in benefits between April 2024 and November 2025. The USDA revoked the store's authorization in November 2025. About two weeks later, local police arrested him for allegedly selling SNAP benefits at a metro Atlanta store and took 14 EBT cards in other people's names, according to the release. Prosecutors say he then had replacement cards mailed out.

A federal grand jury indicted New on Oct. 7 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, FOX 5 Atlanta reported. He was arrested Oct. 13.

Vice President JD Vance put him on blast Wednesday at a White House fraud task force briefing, playing a clip of him on a private jet. "SNAP exists to help hungry children eat. It does not exist to provide private jets to a guy like Shawty Dred," Vance said. Prosecutors say New's Instagram, richlifeshawtydred, which has more than 2 million followers, showed private jets, Rolls-Royces, Maybachs and stacks of cash.

The charges are allegations. No plea or response from New or a lawyer for him was found.

Sources: U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia (Oct. 21, 2026); FOX 5 Atlanta, CBS News Atlanta and Atlanta News First (Oct. 21, 2026). Photo: Instagram/richlifeshawtydred via U.S. Attorney's Office (N.D. Ga.).