BOSTON – Former Massachusetts state official, Lamar Cook, has been arrested for fraudulently obtaining Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, receiving over $500 per month, while on court‑ordered pretrial release in connection with a pending state indictment for alleged cocaine trafficking and firearm offenses.
According to the Massachusetts Department of Justice, 46-year-old Lamar Cook of Springfield, Mass., was arrested today on a criminal complaint charging him with one count of SNAP fraud and wire fraud. Cook will appear in federal court in Boston later today.
In 2023, Governor Maura Healey appointed Cook to serve as the Western MA Deputy Director in Springfield, Mass. Cook was terminated in October 2025 after he was detained at the Springfield State Office building and later charged by the Hampden District Attorney’s Office for alleged drug and firearm offenses. According to court documents, Cook earned a yearly salary of $130,227 and was later paid $22,374.29 in net pay for accrued vacation leave following his termination. The Commonwealth later “realized an error in paying Mr. Cook for accrued vacation leave time, the Commonwealth attempted to reverse the direct deposits, but it could not do so due to insufficient funds available in the accounts.”…