NORTH PROVIDENCE, R.I. — A Rhode Island man who once earned a six-figure salary as a state employee has been charged with illegally obtaining more than $17,000 in SNAP food assistance benefits, according to court documents.
Dukenson Merisier, 37, of North Providence, was charged by Rhode Island State Police with obtaining money by false pretenses.
Investigators allege that Merisier underreported his income in order to fraudulently qualify for SNAP benefits he was not eligible for over a two-year period from 2022 to 2024. Court filings state he “consistently falsified the amount of money he was receiving from the status of his employment” and used the benefits for himself, his parents, and his nephew.
Merisier’s most recent position was as a cybersecurity engineer at the Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI). State payroll records indicate he earned $107,000, though he only worked at CCRI for approximately six months. His employment ended in September 2024 but the reason for his departure is not made clear.
nvestigators also allege that he either underreported or did not report income earned from his part-time service in the Massachusetts National Guard, as well as payments received from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Prior to his role at CCRI, Merisier allegedly held several other positions, including at an AI company where he earned about $7,000 per month for seven months and at MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory for several months, according to court documents.
The status of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is currently uncertain due to ongoing legal challenges. A federal judge recently ordered the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to fully fund SNAP benefits for November, citing the potential harm of reduced payments to millions of recipients. The administration appealed that decision, arguing it lacked the authority or funding to comply, and requested a stay. On November 7, 2025, Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson granted an administrative stay, temporarily pausing the lower court’s order while the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit reviews the case. As a result, the government is allowed to withhold approximately $4 billion in SNAP payments, leaving states, families, and individuals reliant on the program in a state of uncertainty as they await further legal decisions.
SNAP provides essential food assistance to low-income households, and interruptions in funding can create significant hardship for families who rely on the program to afford groceries.
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