Former Massachusetts state official, Lamar Cook, has been taken into police custody on charges of fraudulently obtaining Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) — otherwise known as food stamps — benefits. According to information contained in court documents and a report posted by the Department of Justice, Cook was receiving over $500 a month.
Cook received the benefits while on court-ordered pretrial release for a completely different state indictment for alleged cocaine trafficking and firearm offenses. Cook, 46, of Springfield, Massachusetts, was arrested on a criminal complaint that charged him with one count of SNAP fraud and wire fraud. Cook will now appear in a federal court in Boston.
The governor of Massachusetts had appointed Cook to serve as the Western MA Deputy Director in Springfield back in 2023. Cook was fired from that position in October 2025, just one year ago, after he was detained at the Springfield State Office building. He was later charged by the Hampden District Attorney’s Office for alleged drug and firearm crimes.
The DOJ’s report revealed that court documents said Cook was earning $130,227 a year and was later paid $22,374.29 in net pay for accrued vacation leave after his firing. Later, the Commonwealth “realized an error in paying Mr. Cook for accrued vacation leave time, the Commonwealth attempted to reverse the direct deposits, but it could not do so due to insufficient funds available in the accounts.”
Court filings from the federal criminal case also say that Cook’s bank account continued to hold balances of $13,000 as of January and over $8,800 in April. In other words, this man did not need any food stamps in order to survive, as he had plenty of money in the bank to provide for himself. Cook was essentially taking resources from Americans who truly needed them.
Cook also received a tax return in May 2026 from his time working for the Governor’s Office in 2025, for $2,497.88. Documentation also revealed that Cook’s mother won a million dollars in the Massachusetts Lottery in early 2026. She then made a number of Zelle payments to him that totaled $12,000 between the months of May and June.
The charging documents against Cook allege that he applied for SNAP benefits and falsely stated he had zero income, less than $100 in his bank account, and was living in a two-person household consisting of himself and his minor child. The affidavit said that Cook had at least one bank account with over $8,000 in it on the date of the SNAP application. He then received thousands of dollars in additional deposits, including those from his mom.
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It’s also being alleged that Cook failed to disclose that both his fiancee and her mom lived with him at his residence in Springfield and that the fiancee earned an income exceeding $80,000 a year from the City of Springfield Public Schools. U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley went on to say, “The alleged conduct is simply egregious.”
“SNAP benefits are intended to put food on the table for struggling families who cannot make ends meet, not for those who allegedly hide income to circumvent the financial requirements, much less travel to Disney World. Mr. Cook allegedly lied about his income and the makeup of his household in order to receive over $540 per month in SNAP benefits,” Foley continued.
Featured Image: screenshot from embedded video