In videos published on Oct. 9 and Oct. 12, the 24-year-old Shirley, who has no journalism background and only a high school education, went undercover to document what he described as a common form of EBT trafficking, in which people exchange food stamp benefits for cash.
The YouTuber and a partner approached a woman on the street, offering to sell her an EBT card loaded with $120 in SNAP benefits for $60.
The woman then took Shirley and a partner to Lam’s Seafood Asian Market, where she attempted to use the card for what he described as a can of Spam and sushi.
When the transaction came to $120, Shirley suggested the store was facilitating fraud, declaring in a voiceover: “And magically just like that, one can of Spam and one thing of sushi was $120.”
He entered the wrong PIN to avoid completing what he believed was a fraudulent purchase.
But a closer look at the footage showed the register had rung up a case of Spam containing 24 cans, not a single can.
The store’s operations manager, Teizi Mersai, highlighted the discrepancy in a video posted to Instagram, insisting Lam’s had never participated in EBT trafficking or fraud. The store accompanied the video with the pointed caption: “That wasn’t a $120 can of SPAM. Let’s keep the SPAM in the can—and the facts straight.”
In his retraction, the self-described “100% independent journalist” acknowledged that the woman had been attempting to purchase a case of Spam, explaining why the transaction totaled $120.
He also conceded that he had uncovered no evidence that Lam’s itself engaged in EBT fraud or colluded with the woman.
“I have not uncovered any evidence that Lambs itself engaged in EBT fraud or that Lambs colluded with the woman in the video,” he said, adding that it was never his intention to make incorrect claims about the business.
Shirley said he had removed the videos and defended the correction as part of his responsibilities as a journalist.
“As a journalist, I make sure and try my best to make sure that everything is 100 percent and we do our best, honestly, but we don’t always get it right,” he said. “And when we don’t, it’s very important that we make a correction.”
The retraction comes after Shirley’s accusations prompted a flood of angry calls and messages targeting the family-run business and its employees.
Shirley had called on X for the FBI and White House Fraud Task Force to “raid, arrest and shutdown this fraud ring.”
I really hope the libel case goes forward.
Shirley, who has no journalism background and only a high school education, went undercover
A retraction. A polite blog post (while still misspelling the store’s name), long after the damage was done.
And the store owner’s only transgression was operating a business in the neighborhood where the Seattle police have corralled a large portion of the city’s residents tormented by drug addiction.
“And magically, just like that, one can of SPAM and one thing of sushi was $120.”
In his retraction, [he] acknowledged that the woman had been attempting to purchase a case of SPAM.
“As a journalist, I make sure and try my best to make sure that everything is 100 percent and we do our best, honestly, but we don’t always get it right,”
Trying their best means lying? Being a journalist means having no integrity and disparaging a niche grocer? That’s a pretty wild perspective…
Offering someone an illegal deal that doubles their money for nothing is also fraud
Lam’s Seafood did not commit fraud here. That’s the main issue - Shirley framed it as the store committing fraud instead of the individual.
Yeah but the journalist is communicating fraud
Oh yeah, Nick Shirley absolutely committed fraud in his attempt to frame others for fraud.
Somebody got a call from Lam’s lawyer!
I want to hit this dude with a brick
