A food truck owner in Southern California was arrested recently for processing a suspiciously high number of food stamp transactions, as highlighted in a criminal complaint that surfaced.
This comes amid ongoing efforts in the state to combat SNAP fraud, which is estimated to involve millions of dollars.
Authorities were monitoring Soriano Produce, the food truck owned by Esmeralda Soriano, which mainly operates on Lyon Street in Santa Ana and reportedly sells fruit and produce in limited quantities.
The company started accepting SNAP and EBT benefits back in May 2023, the complaint states.
Through undercover operations and surveillance, law enforcement officials observed that the truck had a makeshift checkout area featuring both food and non-food items. While SNAP can be used for groceries, it doesn’t cover non-food goods like toiletries.
Agent Dwight Llewellyn from Homeland Security Investigations pointed out that the truck used a single device for all food stamp transactions, but the transaction logs were questionable. He mentioned, “Based on my training and experience, the absence of a scanner, unusually large transactions, and rapid processing suggest potential fraud.”
Additionally, the volume of SNAP transactions redeemed by Soriano appeared disproportionately high compared to other nearby vendors, according to the complaint. Soriano Produce reportedly had one cash register, with an average purchase price of $151.41 and overall transaction volume of $640,924.
In comparison, three other vendors in the vicinity had average purchase amounts of less than $55, which totaled under $100,000 between April 2025 and April 2026.
Interestingly, it was noted that Soriano seemed to earn more through EBT transactions than some full-fledged supermarkets or grocery stores.
In May, undercover operatives managed to trade $100 in SNAP benefits for $50 in cash. “If you ever come back, please don’t ask my husband, because he won’t do that,” Soriano allegedly told an officer.
Later that month, another encounter revealed Soriano charged an EBT card for $172 and subsequently gave the officer $80 in cash.
A photograph captured by the Post showed Homeland Security agents outside Soriano’s food truck, which appeared to be actively selling items like bags of chips during the arrest.
The charges she faces carry severe federal penalties, which could include up to 20 years in prison and fines reaching $250,000.
This arrest follows closely on the heels of another SNAP fraud bust in Los Angeles, where federal agents apprehended a cashier accused of taking kickbacks from welfare recipients for false purchases. The operation saw federal agents, equipped with armor, raiding Escamex Party Supply on Skid Row with support from uniformed LAPD officers.
Last week’s crackdown involved multiple operations across California by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Inspector General and Homeland Security Investigations, aimed at retailers suspected of food stamp fraud.
California runs the nation’s largest SNAP program, distributing around $12.5 billion annually. Notably, about 11% of these payments are mistakenly issued, often due to false or incomplete information provided by recipients or various administrative errors, according to nonpartisan advisers in the California Legislature.
Bill Esairi, a prominent federal prosecutor in Los Angeles, mentioned, “These programs are managed by the states, but they’re not doing enough to filter out the fraudsters.”
Recently, the Department of Agriculture also sent violation notices to 33 SNAP-authorized retailers in the city for illegally exchanging benefits for cash and selling restricted items like alcohol and tobacco.
