Federal prosecutors say a former top aide to Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey hid his household’s money to collect food aid, then used the benefit card on a family trip to Disney World.
Story Snapshot
- Federal agents arrested LaMar Cook on Wednesday, October 14, on one count of SNAP fraud and one count of wire fraud.
- Prosecutors say he claimed zero income and less than $100 in the bank when his account held more than $8,800.
- They say he left his fiancée, who earns more than $80,000 a year, off his application.
- Cook was already out on bail in a state cocaine-trafficking and gun case when the food aid began.
Federal Charges Say He Hid Income to Get Food Aid
Cook was deputy director of Gov. Healey’s western Massachusetts office in Springfield, a state job that paid $130,227 a year. The new charges are for lying to get SNAP, the federal food aid program once known as food stamps. Wire fraud is a federal crime of using phone lines or the internet to carry out a scheme to cheat someone. Cook is accused, not convicted. In a Facebook post, he pushed back, saying the story was a headline built by tying together his earned vacation pay, his mother’s lottery winnings and a food benefit card. His public defender declined to comment.
U.S. Attorney Leah Foley, the top federal prosecutor in Massachusetts, called the alleged conduct “simply egregious.” She said SNAP is meant for struggling families, not for people who allegedly hide income, “much less travel to Disney World.”
What Prosecutors Say He Left Off the Form
Prosecutors say Cook applied for SNAP on April 6 and listed a two-person household: himself and his child. They say he did not list his fiancée, a Springfield Public Schools employee who earns more than $80,000 a year, or her mother, though both lived with him. A federal agent wrote in court papers that the fiancée’s income should have been reported and would have affected or ended his eligibility.
Bank records cited by prosecutors show about $13,000 in his account in January and more than $8,800 in April. Cook’s mother won $1 million in the Massachusetts Lottery in early 2026, and prosecutors say she sent him about $12,000 between May and June. After he applied, he received more than $500 a month in food aid, which prosecutors say he used at grocery and retail stores.
In July, prosecutors say, Cook spent $1,904 on round-trip flights to Orlando for eight people, including his fiancée and his mother. They say he bought groceries during the Disney World trip with his EBT card, the debit-style card that holds SNAP benefits, while paying for restaurant meals from his bank account.
Already Facing Cocaine and Gun Charges
Cook was arrested by state authorities in 2025 and fired from his state job. Prosecutors in that case say deliveries of nearly 50 pounds of cocaine were intercepted at a state-owned building in Springfield and at a hotel they tied to him. He has pleaded not guilty to the cocaine-trafficking and gun charges. He was on pretrial release, meaning free on bail while awaiting trial, when the food aid began.
When he was fired, the state paid him about $22,000 for unused vacation time. Prosecutors say the state later called the payment an error and tried to pull the money back, but his accounts did not have enough funds to cover it.
What Comes Next in Court
Cook appeared in federal court in Boston on the afternoon of Wednesday, October 14, and was released on personal recognizance, meaning he was freed on his promise to return to court rather than by posting money. The judge called the allegations “distasteful.” Prosecutors said they would ask a state court in Springfield on Thursday, October 15, to revoke his bail in the cocaine case because of the new charges.
The federal case began with a criminal complaint, a sworn charge that lets agents make an arrest before a grand jury votes on an indictment. SNAP fraud carries up to five years in prison, and wire fraud carries up to 20 years. Gov. Healey, who is running for re-election, responded, “Good. That’s a federal program,” and said she was glad federal prosecutors had taken action. Mike Minogue, the Republican running against her for governor, said, “Maura Healey appointed this man.”
Sources:
justice.gov, bostonherald.com, boston25news.com
