Competition Among Immigrant Scammers in Federal Benefits Fraud
It seems Somali scammers are facing some competition from other immigrant groups. Recently, two Venezuelans and two other immigrants were indicted for allegedly stealing the identities of over 100 individuals to acquire millions of dollars in federal aid.
The arrested individuals include Roman Bekis Fernandez, 32, and Coralba Albarracín Siniba, 24, both of whom previously held temporary protected status in the U.S. Joel Vicioso Fernandez, a 42-year-old Dominican and permanent resident in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, was also charged along with them for their involvement in a conspiracy to misuse Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.
Interestingly, Joel Fernandez’s brother, Raul Fernandez Vicioso, 37, also a Dominican, faces similar charges including conspiracy to commit SNAP fraud and money laundering.
According to the charges, these men and their accomplices managed to create 24 “households” on their SNAP applications, using 117 stolen identities from six states and Puerto Rico. Each of these supposed households averaged four to five members, and they were all claimed to reside in two single-family homes in Providence, Rhode Island.
The Rhode Island Office of Internal Audit had already suspected that something wasn’t quite right. To support 17 of the 24 applications, the alleged fraudsters used identical fake lease agreements and regularly accessed the applications online from the same out-of-state IP addresses.
Documents reveal that the Massachusetts Office of Transition Assistance confirmed a loss of approximately $115,000 in SNAP funds tied to this scheme, yet state officials did not notify the USDA Office of Inspector General or other law enforcement agencies about this theft.
During a press conference, USDA OIG emphasized that it was unaware of any referrals from the Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance related to this theft, adding to the confusion. It appears the defendants sought to steal more by creating additional fraudulent SNAP accounts using fake passports.
Investigators found metadata linked to a counterfeit document that indicated it was captured in the dining area of Raul’s El Primo restaurant in Leominster, Massachusetts. The suspects allegedly used the stolen welfare benefits to buy large amounts of food for resale at restaurants.
Federal agents searched the restaurant and Vichoso’s residence on September 24, 2025. They reportedly unearthed around 20 illegally obtained Rhode Island and Massachusetts EBT cards, along with various fraudulent documents and handwritten identity lists.
Besides allegedly acquiring at least $440,000 in SNAP benefits from Massachusetts and Rhode Island between December 2023 and September 2025, they are believed to have fraudulently secured over $700,000 by submitting false applications for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) in multiple states. The PUA fraud charges involved at least 29 different identities.
U.S. Attorney Leah Foley remarked, “This is just the tip of the iceberg,” indicating that her office is investigating many more cases of benefits fraud.
In December, Foley’s office had previously announced charges against two other individuals for suspected involvement in a scheme that netted millions in SNAP benefits through a small retail operation in Boston, which also allegedly included selling donated food meant for starving children abroad.
Foley also noted that these scams can be relatively easy to identify, but without proper investigation and prosecution, it allows criminals to continue siphoning taxpayer money without consequences. The U.S. Government Accountability Office reported that in fiscal year 2023, roughly 11.7% of SNAP benefits issued were considered erroneous or improper, totaling around $10.5 billion.
The situation raises serious concerns about the efficiency and oversight within federal benefits programs, yet it seems further investigation is on the horizon.
