Massachusetts Auditor Uncovers $4.8 Million in Benefit Fraud in 2025's Fourth Quarter

Scott McClallen | February 01, 2026 4:00 PM

The Massachusetts state auditor has exposed over $4 million of fraud in government benefit programs during the fourth quarter of 2025.

The Bureau of Special Investigation report identified $4.8 million in fraud.

The team investigates public assistance fraud. In the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2025, the state government investigated 1,153 cases.

Bureau of Special Investigations FY2025 Fourth Quarter Report by scott.mcclallen

$3.8 million of fraud in the Medicaid program.
$690,138 in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program fraud
$145,638 of Personal Care Attendant fraud
$134,526 of Department of Early Education and Care
$23,179 of Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children
$8,568 in Emergency Aid to the elderly, disabled, and children.

The report follows rampant benefit fraud across the U.S.

In December, two Haitian store owners were arrested for allegedly committing $7 million worth of SNAP fraud.

In 2025, a federal employee and five others allegedly stole about $66 million worth of SNAP benefits.

U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins is reforming the program. Seven states are switching to upgraded SNAP cards that make it harder for criminals to steal benefits meant for the poor. But the federal agency and states must also defend against store owners who steal benefits. One California baker was sentenced for stealing over $3 million of benefits.

The former owner of El Ranchito Bakery in #Fresno is sentenced to three years in prison and must pay more than $3.4 million in restitution for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) fraud. He and his co-conspirators exchanged SNAP benefits with customers for cash and… pic.twitter.com/jTjFm2ppNy
— FBI Sacramento (@FBISacramento) January 27, 2026