Woman Accused of Welfare Fraud for Hiding OnlyFans Earnings

The Federal Government is cracking down on those who illegally or illegitimately use SNAP benefits, and it looks like an OnlyFans creator from Upstate New York is its latest target.

34-year-old Shameika Brown-Junious was arrested last Friday after employees at New York State’s Department of Social Services issued a fraud referral. According to police investigators involved with the investigation, Ms. Brown-Junious received almost $18,000 more in SNAP benefits than she should have ($17,656.58 to be precise). 

SNAP stands for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and is offered to lower income households throughout New York State. Since it’s a federally-funded program, it exists in every state, though in California it’s called CalFresh and Illinois calls its SNAP program Link. 

In New York, the state has some pretty strict SNAP guidelines. Making exceptions for certain disabilities or situations, SNAP is intended for people between 18 and 64 who work a minimum of 80 hours a month and are below a certain income threshold that varies state to state. Those who qualify receive an EBT card that has funds preloaded. They receive a monthly allowance for food, usually at the beginning of each month. 

While Brown-Junious’s Instagram page is still accessible, it looks like her OnlyFans account has been deactivated following her arrest. On her Instagram page, she has photos of foods she’s purchased with SNAP benefits and also appears to advertise a quasi-legitimate taxi service. There’s also plenty of OnlyFans model-esque pictures of herself wearing various revealing outfits. She’s made multiple posts advertising her personal phone number with AI-generated images of herself in front of a taxi offering rides around the Rochester-Canandaigua region of Upstate New York. 

Brown-Junious has been active on OnlyFans for roughly three and a half years, and, according to the case against her, she failed to report the income she made from OnlyFans to the Department of Social Services. 

Usually, cases like Brown-Junious’s arise when the suspect’s spending doesn’t match what they’re saying they make. Everyone on SNAP benefits is monitored by Department of Social Services employees to discourage fraud. Of course, if someone simply misunderstands what income they’re required to report, there’s some leniency there, and errors made by Department of Social Services employees themselves will not result in any charges being brought forth. 

But New York, like almost any other state with SNAP benefits, has specific fraud investigators for cases like Ms. Brown-Junious’s, so whether on purpose or not, hiding or not reporting income can often lead to fines or arrest. 

OnlyFans also reports anyone on the platform earning over a certain amount to the IRS. That way the U.S. Government has access to the same financial data and can pinpoint fraud much quicker. OnlyFans and the IRS can then work in concert with one another to make sure everyone is playing by the same rules. 

As for Brown-Junious, she’s charged with seven counts of first-degree offering a false instrument for filing, third degree welfare fraud and third degree grand larceny. These charges are felonies and Brown-Junious could be facing up to 15 years in prison. The case has yet to go to trial and she is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.