Nine people have been charged in a coordinated federal crackdown on benefit fraud schemes that used stolen identities to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from taxpayer-funded programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, MassHealth, and Social Security v. Since December 2025, benefit fraud has totaled about $9 million.
According to a press release from the Massachusetts Department of Justice, the following defendants have been charged in the last nine weeks as part of the United States Attorney’s continuous enforcement priority of investigating and prosecuting benefit fraud involving federal and state assistance programs:
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1. Juan Felipe Chalas, 58, a Dominican national unlawfully residing in Salem, N.H., was charged with making a false statement in a passport application, aggravated identity theft and unlawfully obtaining SNAP benefits;
2. Efrain Rivera, 54, a United States citizen from Puerto Rico, living in New Bedford, Mass., was charged with unlawfully obtaining SNAP benefits, misuse of a Social Security number and aggravated identity theft;
3. Danis Piron Lara, 51, a Dominican national unlawfully residing in Dorchester, Mass. was charged with aggravated identity theft, unlawfully obtaining SNAP benefits and making false statements relating to a health care program;
4. Erpawi Roque Collado, 53, a Lawful Permanent Resident living in Boston, Mass. who was born in the Dominican Republic, was charged with unlawfully obtaining SNAP benefits;
5. John Doe aka Wilkin Emilio Pimental Pereyra, 44, a Dominican national unlawfully residing in Boston, Mass., was charged with aggravated identity theft, theft of government benefits and unlawfully obtaining SNAP benefits;
6. John Doe, an individual whose true identity is unknown, who was living in Hyde Park, Mass., was charged with unlawfully obtaining SNAP benefits, misuse of a Social Security number and aggravated identity theft;
7. Mercedes Soto Capellan, 53, a Dominican national unlawfully residing in Lawrence, Mass., was charged with unlawfully obtaining SNAP benefits;
8. Oscar Gonzalez Melo, 59, a Dominican national unlawfully residing in Boston, Mass., was charged with unlawfully obtaining SNAP benefits, making false statements related to health care benefits, making false statements related to Social Security benefits and aggravated identity theft; and
9. Cruz Augusta Pena Arias, 58, a Dominican national unlawfully residing in Salem, Mass., was charged with making a false statement in an application for a United States passport, aggravated identity theft and unlawfully obtaining SNAP benefits.
The defendants allegedly used stolen identities, many of which belonged to U.S. citizens from Puerto Rico, to obtain government-issued identification, including Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) credentials and, in some cases, US passports, which they then used to apply for and receive public benefits.
In several cases, the defendants are accused of using stolen identities for extended periods of time, including one person who reportedly lived under a fake identity for more than 20 years. Certain defendants are accused of receiving benefits from numerous programs, including SNAP, MassHealth, and Social Security.
The defendants reportedly submitted stolen identities to law enforcement after previous arrests in several cases, and at least one defendant has a past conviction under the same alias.
According to the court documents, the alleged schemes caused roughly $943,197 in total losses to public assistance programs, including approximately $149,775 in SNAP benefits, $776,715 in MassHealth benefits, and $16,707 in Social Security benefits.
The offense of unlawfully collecting SNAP benefits carries a term of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. The crime of aggravated identity theft carries a required two-year term, which runs concurrently with any other sentence issued, one year of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. The crime of abusing a Social Security number carries a maximum term of five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. The crime of theft of government property carries a punishment of up to ten years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. The charge of making a false statement in an application for a United States passport carries a maximum term of 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. The offense of making false claims about a health care program carries a punishment of up to five years in prison, one year of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. A federal district court judge imposes sentences based on the United States Sentencing Guidelines and the legislation that governs sentence determination in criminal cases.
United States Attorney Leah Foley; Michael Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; Amy Connelly, Special Agent in Charge of the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Boston Field Division; Charmeka Parker, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General, Northeast Region; Nathan Hebert, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of State
The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Mark Grady, Suzanne Sullivan Jacobus, David G. Tobin, Jennifer Zacks, Allegra Flamm, Eric Hawkins, Julissa Walsh, and Aidan Lang from the Major Crimes Unit.
The details in the charge document are allegations. The defendants are deemed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
