Ag Secretary Posts Halloween Meme of Indicted SNAP Fraudster
Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins posts Halloween meme of indicted SNAP fraudster, sparking backlash from Democrats.
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U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins sparked controversy by posting a Halloween costume meme of Shawty Dred, an indicted SNAP fraudster. The graphic depicted the man in a costume labeled with features such as ‘Flexes wealth and questionable fashion choices,’ ‘Steals MILLIONS from American Taxpayers,’ and ‘Goes to jail.’ Included accessories were ‘STACKS OF TAXPAYERS CASH,’ ‘FAKE GRILLS,’ an ‘EBT CARD,’ and ‘HANDCUFFS.’
Rollins captioned the post, ‘Some costumes come with a price tag. This one comes with a prison sentence. To anyone stealing from American taxpayers: The tricks are over. The treats are running out. Happy Halloween!’
Some costumes come with a price tag. This one comes with a prison sentence.
The man in the photo is Mercedes Reshard New, known as ‘Shawty Dred.’ A federal grand jury in the Northern District of Georgia indicted him on October 7 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.
He was arrested in Las Vegas on October 13. Prosecutors allege that between January 2020 and July 2026, New controlled more than 350 fraudulent SNAP accounts opened with stolen identities, had EBT cards mailed to multiple addresses around metro Atlanta, and registered his company, Shawty Dred LLC, as an authorized SNAP retailer.
Over the course of the scheme, roughly $4.6 million in benefits was transferred into the fraudulent accounts, with about $4 million siphoned out. New allegedly used a point-of-sale device tied to his business to steal more than $660,000 before the USDA revoked the authorization, and he continued obtaining replacement cards after police seized others.
The case is part of a broader Justice Department crackdown targeting nearly $42 million in SNAP and related fraud.
@SecRollins For fucks sake, can we have someone in the cabinent who isn’t a depraved racist piece of shit wtf
Despite it being a parody of a real criminal, Democrats and leftist commentators immediately labeled the post racist and lost their collective minds.
@SecRollins What a racist post
Rep. Shontel Brown of Ohio quote-posted Rollins and wrote, ‘Despicable. Disgusting. Not even hiding it… And I look forward to your answer to what motivated this graphic when you appear in front of the Agriculture Committee in January.’
@SecRollins @daveweigel https://t.co/WdP7meSHFF
Despicable. Disgusting.
Democrat Rep. James Walkinshaw of Virginia responded with his own mock costume packaging of President Trump labeled a ‘CONVICTED FRAUDSTER.’
Some costumes come with a price tag. This one comes with a failed Presidency.
The post quickly drew coverage from leftist outlets including Raw Story, Mediaite, HuffPost, and others framing it as a racist dog whistle.
People with common sense pointed out that Rollins has repeatedly publicized individual SNAP fraud cases, including identity theft schemes that used deceased children’s information.
Source: The Gateway Pundit
