The Department of Justice announced Thursday that federal prosecutors have filed charges against nine individuals accused of defrauding government benefit programs of nearly one million dollars through an elaborate identity theft scheme.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, six of the nine suspects are Dominican nationals residing illegally in the United States. The charges represent the latest development in the Trump administration’s intensified efforts to combat benefit fraud that has cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars across multiple federal and state assistance programs.
U.S. Attorney Leah Foley’s office has brought these charges over the past nine weeks as part of a broader investigation that has uncovered approximately nine million dollars in benefit fraud since December. The alleged schemes involved the fraudulent acquisition of benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, MassHealth, and Social Security.
The accused include Danis Piron Lara, a 51-year-old Dominican national charged with aggravated identity theft, unlawfully obtaining SNAP benefits, and making false statements relating to a health care program. Similarly charged is 44-year-old John Doe, identified as Wilkin Emilio Pimental Pereyra, also a Dominican national. Oscar Gonzalez Melo, 59, and Cruz Augusta Pena Arias, 58, face charges of aggravated identity theft among other offenses. All four resided unlawfully in Massachusetts.
The investigation also ensnared Erpawi Roque Collado, a lawful permanent resident from the Dominican Republic, and Efrain Rivera, a United States citizen from Puerto Rico. Collado faces charges of unlawfully obtaining SNAP benefits, while Rivera stands accused of unlawfully obtaining SNAP benefits, misuse of a Social Security number, and aggravated identity theft.
According to prosecutors, the suspects operated by stealing identities, frequently targeting United States citizens from Puerto Rico. These stolen identities were then used to obtain government-issued identification documents, including Massachusetts driver’s licenses and, in certain cases, United States passports. Armed with these fraudulent credentials, the suspects applied for and received public benefits to which they had no legal entitlement.
The total loss to public benefit programs from these alleged schemes amounts to $943,197.
The announcement coincided with Attorney Foley’s establishment of a new Benefit and Voter Fraud Team, which she will staff with two dedicated prosecutors. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Philip Mallard and Mark Grady will lead this specialized task force, which has been charged with investigating potential fraud across multiple areas including SNAP benefits, voter registration, and childcare assistance programs throughout Massachusetts.
Speaking at a press conference Thursday, Foley delivered pointed remarks about the state of fraud prevention in Massachusetts. “It has become apparent that there are no guardrails in place in Massachusetts to address this rampant fraud, and there is zero accountability,” she stated. “It is time to take benefit fraud seriously.”
The creation of this specialized prosecution team signals a significant shift in federal enforcement priorities regarding benefit fraud. The task force will coordinate with state and federal agencies to identify systemic vulnerabilities in benefit programs and prosecute those who exploit them.
These cases underscore the ongoing challenges facing government assistance programs, which must balance accessibility for legitimate recipients against the threat of organized fraud schemes that drain taxpayer resources and undermine public confidence in the social safety net.
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