SNAP shoppers will get up to $14 a day in Health Bucks, as prosecutors charge eight in a $7 million benefits theft. The Council's SNAP bills are on hold
The city raises its produce match in January. Separately, Manhattan prosecutors say a ring drained food benefits through fake delis. A Council bill to create a SNAP anti-fraud officer was laid over in April.
Two pieces of food benefits news landed in the same week. New Yorkers on SNAP will be able to get more free produce at greenmarkets starting in January, Gothamist reported Thursday. And on Friday, Manhattan prosecutors charged eight people in what they described as a scheme that stole more than $7 million in SNAP benefits, Gothamist reported.
Why it matters to residents: SNAP, formerly called food stamps, is how many New York City households buy groceries. Federal cuts and work requirements have the city looking for ways to stretch benefits, while stolen benefits leave families short.
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Health Bucks goes up
Under the city's Health Bucks program, SNAP shoppers already get an extra $2 for every $2 they spend on fresh produce at more than 100 greenmarkets. Starting in January, the daily cap rises from $10 to $14, Gothamist reported. The city is partly paying for the increase, which officials expect to cost $2.3 million in 2027. Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the change "puts fresh produce within reach and makes groceries more affordable." People who are not on SNAP can still get Health Bucks coupons through some nonprofits and faith groups.
The theft case
The Manhattan District Attorney's office charged eight people with conspiracy, grand larceny and identity theft. Prosecutors allege the group used real and fake delis to open card-processing accounts, obtained EBT card numbers and PINs, and drained accounts as soon as benefits were loaded, between April 2023 and September 2025, Gothamist reported. Thousands of people were affected. District Attorney Alvin Bragg said the defendants "tracked the timing of benefit funds." Department of Investigation Commissioner Nadia Shihata said the alleged crimes left vulnerable New Yorkers without money for groceries. The charges are allegations; the defendants have not been convicted.
What our records add
The Council heard three SNAP measures in April and voted on none. At an April 13 General Welfare hearing on food insecurity, chaired by Crystal Hudson, the committee took up:
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- Int. 854, from Susan Zhuang, which would create a SNAP anti-fraud officer and a fraud awareness campaign. It was laid over and has six sponsors.
- Res. 21, from Alexa Avilés, calling on Albany to create a compensation fund for victims of SNAP and cash assistance fraud. Laid over.
- Res. 426, from Lynn C. Schulman, backing a federal bill to let SNAP buy hot foods. Laid over.
None has come back for a vote in the 202 days since.
City officials pointed to Health Bucks at that hearing. A Social Services official listed Health Bucks, Get the Good Stuff and Groceries to Go as the city's food access programs (9:29). At a March 17 General Welfare hearing, food advocates asked the Council to increase Health Bucks funding.
What's next
The higher Health Bucks cap starts in January at participating greenmarkets. The fraud case now moves through the courts. Int. 854 would need another committee vote before reaching the full Council, which next meets Nov. 12.