Rhode Island State Employee Charged with $17,000 in SNAP Benefit Fraud
A North Providence man has been charged with obtaining more than $17,000 in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits through false pretenses, authorities announced today.
Dukenson Merisier, 37, was charged by Rhode Island State Police with intentionally underreporting his income to fraudulently receive SNAP benefits between 2022 and 2024. Investigators allege Merisier used the benefits for himself, his parents, and his nephew. Court documents indicate he “consistently falsified the amount of money he was receiving from the status of his employment.”
Merisier most recently worked as a cybersecurity engineer at the Community College of Rhode Island, earning a salary of $107,000, though his employment there ended in September 2024. He also serves in the Massachusetts National Guard and received payments from the Department of Veterans Affairs, income from which he allegedly failed to report. Prior to CCRI, Merisier held positions at an AI company – earning approximately $7,000 per month for seven months – and at MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory. Fraudulent claims against public assistance programs divert resources from those most in need.
Attempts to reach Merisier for comment have been unsuccessful. The Rhode Island State Police are continuing their investigation and the case will proceed through the court system; information on SNAP eligibility can be found on the state’s Department of Human Services website.
