Yes. Knowingly buying SNAP benefits in an unauthorized transaction can violate 7 U.S.C. 2024. The statute reaches unauthorized acquisition as well as use, transfer, alteration, and possession; it is not limited to the person selling benefits. [1]
Value affects the statutory tier
| Value covered by the provision | Imprisonment maximum |
|---|---|
| Less than $100 | One year |
| $100 to less than $5,000 | Five years |
| $5,000 or more | Twenty years |
These are statutory maximums, not automatic sentences. The statute includes additional fine and repeat-conviction provisions. How transactions are charged and valued requires review of the actual case. [1]
SNAP eligibility is a separate issue
A recipient involved in an intentional program violation can also face disqualification under section 2015. Administrative, civil, restitution, and criminal consequences should not be collapsed into one penalty. [2]
For example, buying access to another person’s EBT balance at a discount can raise a trafficking issue even if the buyer later uses the benefits only for food. The cash exchange is not made authorized by the food purchase.
Respond to the actual notice
Keep transaction records, messages, account notices, and charging documents. Identify whether the matter is an administrative hearing, repayment claim, or criminal investigation, and protect the relevant response deadline.
Authorized shopping help is different from a cash purchase
A person helping a household obtain food under lawful program arrangements is not automatically buying its benefits. Determine whose food was purchased, why the card was used, whether money was exchanged for the benefit balance, and what authority existed. An innocent description such as “helping a friend” does not settle those facts, but neither does possession of another person’s card prove every alleged transaction by itself. [1]
For an accusation involving several events, ask how the government calculated value and grouped the conduct. Keep messages and receipts in context rather than assuming the discount paid equals the statutory value of benefits. If the buyer also receives SNAP, identify any separate program-disqualification allegation and hearing notice. A criminal defense, an eligibility dispute, and repayment calculation may need coordinated but distinct responses. [1] [2]
See selling SNAP benefits for cash and lawful SNAP household membership to distinguish trafficking from ordinary eligibility questions.
Primary sources
Sources checked: October 31, 2026.