BOSTON — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - Massachusetts), published as received.
BOSTON – United States Attorney Leah B. Foley has named two federal prosecutors to lead the newly formed Benefit and Voter Fraud Team in response to the rampant fraud being uncovered in Massachusetts. The Team’s mission will be to actively and aggressively root out benefit fraud in Massachusetts, including SNAP fraud, MassHealth fraud, childcare subsidy fraud and voter fraud, just to name a few. In support of this effort, a new hotline has been established for members of the public to report suspicion of benefit fraud: 1-855-SCAM-MA-1 (855-722-6621).
The District of Massachusetts is committed to assisting the Administration’s war on fraud and will support the work of the Vice President’s Anti-Fraud Task Force and the Department of Justice’s National Fraud Enforcement Division through independent investigations brought by the Benefit and Voter Fraud Team.
The Benefit and Voter Fraud Team will be led by two Fraud Coordinators, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Philip Mallard and Mark Grady. AUSA Mallard will be responsible for overseeing the district-wide effort, coordinating with multiple federal agencies to identify benefit fraud and develop a plan of action. AUSA Mark Grady will supervise the federal investigations and prosecutions for the office, working closely with partner agencies.
“Both Phil and Mark are seasoned federal prosecutors who each bring tremendous assets to the Fraud Team. With a combined 40+ years of prosecutorial experience, they will hit the ground running and make a lasting impact on the widespread and prolific benefit fraud we are seeing across the state,” said Foley.
AUSA Mallard is a longtime state and federal prosecutor, first serving as an Assistant District Attorney in Essex County where he investigated and prosecuted gangs, murders and numerous types of fraud. He has extensive experience prosecuting SNAP fraud, procurement fraud, identity theft and embezzlement, among others. AUSA Mallard joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Organized Crime and Gang Unit in 2018 where he is responsible for investigating violent crime, including complex gang and murder cases such as the Latin Kings and Trinitarios.
AUSA Mark Grady is Deputy Chief of the Major Crimes Unit where he manages and prosecutes a range of immigration, child exploitation, violent crime and fraud cases. He has deep prosecutorial experience in the fraud space, including fraud cases against the Massachusetts State and Boston Police, SNAP, housing, Social Security and employment fraud. He previously served in the Public Corruption Unit, Worcester Branch Office and the Civil Division. AUSA Grady has been a federal prosecutor for nearly 25 years and previously served as an Assistant District Attorney in Suffolk County.
Since December 2025, Foley’s office has charged 15 individuals with nearly $9 million in fraud including SNAP benefit fraud and MassHealth fraud.
“It has become apparent that there are insufficient guardrails in place in Massachusetts to address the rampant benefit fraud across the state. It is time to hold criminals stealing taxpayer benefits accountable. This has gone on far too long and the buck stops with me,” said Foley.
Earlier today, Foley’s office announced charges against nine individuals, including a Dominican national for allegedly stealing nearly $300,000 in SNAP, Social Security and MassHealth benefits in Massachusetts using a stolen identity. The charges in these cases were brought after an analysis of recipient data showed the same identity was receiving benefits at the same time in two or more states post COVID. According to the charging documents, in December 2024, Massachusetts DTA issued SNAP benefits to approximately 495 identities simultaneously receiving SNAP benefits in Puerto Rico.
“This is the tip of the iceberg,” said Foley. “We have dozens of investigations in the pipeline that will come to fruition in the coming weeks. My office is committed to stepping up and taking benefit fraud seriously.”
The Benefit and Voter Fraud Team will employ resources from Homeland Security Investigations in New England; U.S. Department of Agriculture - Office of Inspector General, Northeast Region; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General; U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service; U.S. Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General; U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services; Social Security Administration - Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations; U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General; Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office; and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
