The Department of Justice (DOJ) has announced plans to charge 15 individuals, including 11 undocumented immigrants, for participating in a welfare fraud scheme that misappropriated roughly $1.4 million in food stamps, health benefits, disability benefits, and unemployment benefits.
This information was shared during a news conference on Thursday in Boston, Massachusetts. The specific allegations against the 11 undocumented individuals and four U.S. citizens detail how much each is accused of taking and from which welfare programs these benefits were drawn.
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Heriberto Rodriguez, from Framingham, Massachusetts, faces charges for passport fraud, SNAP fraud, and aggravated identity theft, linked to a total of $546,463 in benefit fraud, broken down as follows: $175,182 in MassHealth fraud, $146,944 in Social Security fraud, $185,194 in HUD fraud, and $39,000 in SNAP fraud.
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Mirian Charas, a 33-year-old U.S. citizen from Salem, New Hampshire, has been charged for allegedly making false statements while receiving $266,000 in MassHealth fraud, alongside $25,000 in Social Security Disability fraud and $12,000 in SNAP fraud.
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Santo Escolastico Cuello, a 56-year-old Dominican living illegally in Worcester, Massachusetts, is charged with aggravated identity theft and making false statements concerning a healthcare program related to a $162,180 MassHealth scam.
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A suspect known only as John Doe, whose age is unknown and who is also believed to be in the U.S. illegally, faces charges for falsely providing a Social Security number, aggravated identity theft, and making false claims regarding a healthcare program in connection with $75,000 in MassHealth fraud.
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Another John Doe, age unknown, from Quincy, Massachusetts, suspected of being in the U.S. illegally, has been charged with illegally obtaining or using SNAP benefits, theft of government funds, and aggravated identity theft in relation to $11,000 in SNAP fraud.
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Mario Baez Romero, 45, a Dominican residing illegally in Somerville, Massachusetts, faces charges of aggravated identity theft and passport fraud for mishandling $26,942 in SNAP fraud and $48,785 in MassHealth fraud. He was allegedly encountered in May 2026 while involved in a recreational boat seizure near Miami, Florida.
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Richard Odeliz Varegas Nuñez, 35, another Dominican living illegally in Allston, Massachusetts, is charged with aggravated identity theft and the illegal production of identification documents related to $48,865 in MassHealth fraud.
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Miguel Diaz Matos, 54, a Dominican resident of Lynn, Massachusetts, faces charges for unlawfully obtaining or using SNAP benefits, stealing government funds, and aggravated identity theft in connection with $13,431 in SNAP fraud and $50,494 in MassHealth fraud.
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A John Doe, whose age is unknown, believed to be in the U.S. illegally, is charged with making false statements regarding a healthcare program tied to $32,717 in MassHealth fraud.
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Another John Doe from Lynn, also suspected of being in the U.S. illegally, faces aggravated identity theft and making false statements concerning a healthcare program associated with $38,776 in MassHealth fraud.
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Mitul Patel, 40, an Indian citizen residing illegally in Worcester, is charged with conspiracy to commit visa fraud. In this instance, co-conspirators allegedly staged a fake armed robbery at a convenience store so that participants like Patel could obtain U visas as victims of violent crimes.
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Santo Tejada Sanchez, 48, a Dominican living illegally in Haverhill, is charged with aggravated identity theft, theft of government funds, and SNAP benefit fraud totaling $4,054.
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Jennifer Phelan, 48, a U.S. citizen from Haverhill, faces charges for theft of government property, Social Security fraud, and providing false information to Social Security relating to over $29,000 in Social Security fraud.
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Owen Landry, also known as “Oski,” a 24-year-old U.S. citizen from Haverhill, is charged with theft of government property, Social Security fraud, and providing false information to Social Security in connection with over $29,000 in fraud.
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Yahaira Diaz Gomez, 45, a Dominican resident of Mattapan, is charged with making false statements related to a healthcare program tied to $48,694 in MassHealth fraud.
U.S. Attorney Leah Foley indicated that these charges mark just the beginning of a larger initiative by her office to combat fraud against the state’s welfare system. She remarked, “Nowhere else can you be in the country illegally and still access free food, housing, health care, and monthly checks. But it seems that in Massachusetts, individuals have been able to take advantage of these benefits without repercussions. This will change under my watch. From today, we will be unveiling a series of fraud charges.”
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin noted that if convicted, each undocumented person would serve their sentence and subsequently be deported.
