SNAP Fraud Investigation Leads to Indictment in Jones

A Jones County, Miss. resident was apprehended by authorities on July 10, 2025, following a SNAP fraud investigation conducted by the Investigations Division of the Mississippi Department of Human Service (MDHS).

MDHS announced that Yadera Cabellero of Jones County received $70,274.00 in SNAP benefits by not reporting household income and composition accurately to MDHS. Based on the evidence obtained during the investigation, the case was referred to the Jones County District Attorney’s office. The Jones County District Attorney secured an indictment on June 24, 2025, and Cabellero was later arrested by Jones County officials on Thursday, July 10, 2025.

“Collaboration between our investigations team, County offices, District Attorneys, and local law enforcement is critical to the prevention and prosecution of fraud in our programs,” stated MDHS Inspector General Sandra Griffith.

Agent Guy DeMars of the MDHS Investigations Division investigated the case. The Investigations Division is a subset of the MDHS Office of the Inspector General (OIG), which was created in August 2018 and charged with detecting, deterring and preventing fraud, waste, and abuse. OIG has been responsible for millions of dollars collected from overpayments.

“MDHS is committed to administering programs with the highest integrity. Over the past five years, MDHS has strengthened the controls we have in place to identify, investigate, and eliminate fraud in our programs,” MDHS Executive Director Robert G. “Bob” Anderson said.

An indictment is only an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Suspected fraud can be reported to MDHS online at any time by submitting the MDHS Fraud Tip Form at Report Fraud – Mississippi Department of Human Services  or by calling the Fraud Tip Line at 1-(800)-299-6905, or email at fraud@mdhs.ms.gov.