Nine Charged in Benefit Fraud Crackdown

BOSTON – Nine individuals have been charged in a coordinated federal crackdown on benefit fraud schemes that exploited stolen identities to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxpayer-funded programs – including Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), MassHealth and Social Security benefits. Nearly $9 million in benefit fraud has been uncovered since December 2025.

The following defendants have been charged over the past nine weeks as part of the United States Attorney’s ongoing enforcement priority to investigate and prosecute benefit fraud involving federal and state assistance programs:

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.

As alleged, the defendants used stolen identities – often belonging to U.S. citizens from Puerto Rico – to obtain government-issued identification, including Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) credentials and, in some instances, U.S. passports, which were then used to apply for and receive public benefits.

Read more on www.justice.gov