Social media celeb who flaunted lavish life indicted on $4M Georgia SNAP fraud

An Atlanta social media personality with more than 2 million followers across platforms has been federally indicted for allegedly fraudulently obtaining more than $4 million from a federal program that helps feed needy Georgia families.

Mercedes Reshard New, known as “Shawty Dred” or by his Instagram username “richlifeshawtydred,” flaunted a luxurious lifestyle online that involved private jets, Rolls-Royce and other flashy vehicles and stacks of cash, his social media accounts showed. But Theodore Hertzberg, U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, has accused New of obtaining millions over more than six years by controlling more than 340 fraudulent Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program accounts created using stolen identities.

New was indicted Oct. 7 on 46 counts of mail fraud, 15 counts of aggravated identity theft, one count of SNAP fraud and one count of illegal transactions with access devices. He was arrested six days later, court records showed.

On Wednesday, Hertzberg and Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracia King filed a motion to keep New in detention. He was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service after his arrest pending further proceedings, U.S. Department of Justice officials said.

Online court records do not list an attorney for New. The last time New appears to have been active on Instagram was Oct. 7.

According to New’s indictment, he is accused of fraudulently obtaining EBT, which is short for electronic benefit transfer, debit cards loaded with money for groceries in the names of individuals without their knowledge or authorization. Officials also said he got permission from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Administration to participate in SNAP as a retailer through his company, — “Shawty Dred LLC,” on Delowe Drive in southwest Atlanta — and drained debit card funds through that company. New allegedly had the cards mailed to addresses in metro Atlanta, including some tied to him.

SNAP is a federal program run by the USDA and, in Georgia, the program is administered by the Georgia Department of Human Services Division of Family and Children Services. Those looking to receive benefits must apply through DFCS to start an account, and approved beneficiaries are mailed a debit card.

DFCS did not immediately respond to an inquiry from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution about the case. According to the state agency’s website, those who receive fraudulent SNAP benefits “are responsible to pay back benefits that were overissued or trafficked.”

The alleged scheme ran from January 2020 to July 2026. New is accused of having duped DFCS into transferring approximately $4.6 million in SNAP benefits to fraudulently established beneficiary accounts.

The debit cards issued were used for transactions totaling more than $4 million, including an instance when New allegedly used multiple cards at a Walmart to buy food for people in exchange for payment, the indictment said. And in between April 2024 and November 2025, he allegedly had $660,000 in SNAP benefits electronically moved to a Bank of America account tied to his company, according to his indictment. Those funds were used for personal expenses, such as vacations, clothes and jewelry, the indictment stated.

When New was arrested Oct. 13, days after the indictment, federal agents searched his hotel room and seized 19 Tennessee EBT cards and one Georgia card, none of which were issued to him, according to Wednesday’s detention motion.

In that motion, Hertzberg and King claimed there is a “serious risk” that New “will flee or not appear” in court if he does not remain in custody. In their motion, they described New as “unemployed” but with “access to large sums of money.”