Influencer Nick Shirley Retracts EBT Fraud Accusation Against Seattle Asian Grocer Lam's Seafood, Saying He Found No Evidence
Conservative social media influencer Nick Shirley this week retracted his food-stamp fraud accusation against Lam's Seafood, an Asian market in Seattle, admitting he had found no evidence that the store engaged in or colluded in fraud, and removed the accusation videos that had drawn millions of views. According to The Seattle Times, the long-running Asian market in Seattle's Little Saigon, in King County, Washington, faced immense backlash after the claims went viral, hired an attorney and sent Shirley a cease-and-desist letter.
In videos posted on October 9 and October 12, Shirley filmed a Vietnamese-speaking woman shopping in the store and claimed she had used an EBT food-stamp card to buy one can of Spam and one order of sushi for $120, implying a kickback scheme in which the store could charge the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) the $120 and then pay the customer back. According to The Seattle Times, the videos generated millions of views, and some of his supporters suggested boycotting the store.
Lam's said Shirley misread the transaction: the customer had been asking about the price of a full case of Spam, the $120 shown at the register was for the case, and the sale was never completed. Operations manager Teizi Mersai said Lam's has never participated in any EBT fraud. Seattle television station KIRO 7 reported that the store said the accusation hurt its business and brought harassment.
On the night of November 11, Shirley posted a short video walking back the accusation and removed the two Seattle videos. In a Facebook post on Thursday, he wrote: “I have not uncovered any evidence that Lam's itself engaged in EBT fraud or that Lam's colluded with the woman in the video.” He added that it was never his intention to make incorrect claims, and acknowledged that the customer had been attempting to purchase a case of Spam, which is why the transaction was $120. A website that had repeated his Seattle claims this week also took down its editions and retracted the statements.
Shirley had gained national recognition for videos alleging that several daycare centers in Minnesota were receiving public funds without providing services. According to Supermarket News, President Trump last month presented him with a $10,000 reward under the White House's Whistleblower Incentive Program, a $25 million initiative that pays people who report government fraud up to $30,000.
Source: The Seattle Times
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 资料图：Nick Shirley在2026年Chapter Leadership Summit活动上（Gage Skidmore摄，CC BY-SA 4.0，经Wikimedia Commons），版面图为等比适配加模糊底衬1600×900、人物头部完整，非西雅图现场画面。/ File photo: Nick Shirley at the 2026 Chapter Leadership Summit (photo by Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons), presented in a 1600x900 blurred-fill layout with his head kept whole; not an image from Seattle.
