Federal prosecutors charged LaMar D. Cook, a former Healey aide, with SNAP fraud and wire fraud.

A criminal complaint is an accusation. It is not a conviction, and the state drug case is still pending after a not-guilty plea. The new filing is about what prosecutors say he told the state on a food-assistance application while he was already out on bail. The outlets agree on the arrest. They do not agree on one weight for the cocaine, one salary, or one vacation figure.

The Boston Globe reported that LaMar D. Cook, 46, of Springfield, a former aide to Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, was arrested Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026, on federal charges that he lied about his income to get Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts, which spells his name Lamar Cook, said he was arrested on a criminal complaint charging him with one count of SNAP fraud and wire fraud, and that he would appear in federal court in Boston later that day. The Globe said the office charged him with counts of SNAP fraud and wire fraud and alleged he received nearly $550 a month after claiming zero income and less than $100 in a bank account. The office said the SNAP fraud charge carries up to five years in prison and the wire fraud charge carries up to 20 years. The Globe reported he was released Wednesday afternoon after appearing before Judge Paul G. Levenson. He declined to comment to reporters outside the courthouse. Boston.com reported the release was on personal recognizance.

The office said Cook applied for SNAP on April 6, 2026, and falsely claimed zero income, less than $100 in his bank account, and a two-person household consisting only of himself and his minor child. The child is not named here. The office said that on the application date he maintained at least one account holding more than $8,800, and that court filings put a balance at about $13,000 in January 2026. It said he failed to disclose that his fiancee and her mother lived with him in Springfield, and that his fiancee earned more than $80,000 a year from Springfield Public Schools. It said he received about $546 a month, used regularly at Massachusetts stores and on a July 2026 trip to Florida, and that retail records show his fiancee often used the EBT card. U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley said in the office's statement, "The alleged conduct is simply egregious," and that the benefits are "not for those who allegedly hide income to circumvent the financial requirements, much less travel to Disney World." The Globe reported that after the Boston Herald wrote in July that he was using benefits near Walt Disney World, Cook wrote online that what was being called a "welfare golden parachute" was "really just a mix of my earned vacation pay, my mom's lottery winnings, and a SunBucks EBT card." The office said his mother won about $1 million in the Massachusetts Lottery in early 2026 and sent him Zelle payments totaling about $12,000 between May and June, and that he received a $2,497.88 tax refund in May.

The federal case landed on top of a state case that is not resolved. The Globe and Boston.com reported Cook has pleaded not guilty to the state gun and drug trafficking charges. The U.S. Attorney's Office said that when he applied for SNAP he was on release in a Hampden County Superior Court indictment charging trafficking of more than 200 grams of cocaine, conspiracy, and firearm offenses from an October 2025 investigation. The weight of the drugs is not one number. The Globe reported prosecutors said police seized roughly 17 pounds of cocaine set to be delivered to the state building in Springfield where he worked. Boston.com reported investigators allegedly intercepted eight kilograms scheduled for delivery to that building. WCVB reported a package of more than 15 pounds at the Springfield State Office Building. Eight kilograms is about 17.6 pounds, so those three accounts describe a similar seizure. Western Mass News reported a different claim: that state investigators say about 50 pounds of suspected cocaine was delivered to multiple locations over several months, including Hotel UMass in Amherst, where he used to work. The Globe also reported prosecutors said a digital scale with traces of heroin, cocaine, fentanyl, and cutting agents was found in a cabinet in his office. The Globe reported he posted $25,000 bail and was released in March from the Hampden County Correctional Center.

The job and the money the state paid him are also not one set of figures. The U.S. Attorney's Office said Healey appointed him in 2023 as Western Massachusetts deputy director in Springfield, that he was terminated in October 2025 after he was detained at the state office building, and that he earned $130,227 a year. CBS Boston reported he was fired in November 2025. WBUR reported the firing came in late October 2025, when the state charges were announced. Boston.com, citing payroll records, reported he had been making $115,668 a year. The office said he was later paid $22,374.29 in net pay for accrued vacation, that the state then "realized an error" and tried to reverse the direct deposits, and that it could not because the accounts lacked the funds. Boston.com reported the pending lawsuit seeks that $22,374.29. The Globe reported the administration sued to claw back more than $31,000 and that Attorney General Andrea Campbell's office filed in January. Foley said she finds it "disturbing that the Commonwealth of Massachusetts could not prevent this from happening, nor could it recover the ill-gained $22,000 payment for earned vacation time."

The Globe reported Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip A. Mallard asked Levenson to detain Cook for 10 days "solely" so Hampden County prosecutors could move to revoke his state bail. The Globe reported those prosecutors filed that motion Wednesday, arguing a condition of his release was to obey federal laws, and asked for a hearing Thursday. Mallard also argued the state charges were "extremely serious." Levenson said, "For what's in front of me, we are talking about SNAP benefits. As distasteful as this criminal activity is, I can't rephrase it as a danger to the community." Public defender Scott Lauer told the judge Cook had already posted a "significant cash bail," and said, "He hasn't fled. There is no argument that he represents any risk of flight." WCVB and Western Mass News reported the federal prosecutor told the judge the state was expected to move against the bail as soon as Thursday, which is a step short of the Globe's report that the motion was already filed. The Globe reported the charges, coming about three weeks before Election Day while Healey seeks a second term, restarted an argument over who is responsible for SNAP fraud. Healey told reporters it was "really good" Cook had been charged, that SNAP is a "federal program," and that "the only reason he was receiving them is because he was eligible under the federal system." WCVB quoted her more briefly: "Good, good. That's a federal program. Those are federal taxpayer dollars, and I'm glad that the U.S. Attorney's Office has taken action." The Globe reported Republican challenger Michael Minogue called the case "another example of a lack of accountability" and said, "The only one fighting this crime and corruption is US Attorney Leah Foley, as well as our state auditor, Diana DiZoglio." WCVB quoted Minogue saying Cook "got a severance package and then applied and was getting thousands of dollars per month," a figure the U.S. Attorney's Office did not use for the SNAP payments. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.