OCALA, FL — A Brazilian national living in Massachusetts has been indicted and arrested for creating an entire fake federal agency — one that used stolen seals from the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, and FEMA to produce counterfeit law enforcement badges, federal ID cards, and official-looking certificates that he distributed to strangers at training courses across the country for years, according to the Department of Justice.

Mario Cesar Dos Santos Jr., 50, faces up to five years in federal prison for fraudulent use of government seals. But the charges barely scratch the surface of what investigators found.

The fake agency

Dos Santos is the president of an organization he called the "Chaplain Emergency Management Agency" — or CEMA — which he falsely claimed was a government agency endorsed by FEMA. It wasn't. It had no affiliation with DHS, FEMA, the FBI, or any department of the federal government whatsoever.

But it looked like it did.

According to court documents, Dos Santos created a logo for CEMA by taking the official Department of Homeland Security seal and modifying it to read "U.S. Department of Homeland Chaplain." He slapped it on everything — ID cards, badges, polo shirts, jackets, bumper stickers, and badge holders. The back of the ID cards carried the DHS/FEMA seal with no alterations at all. The certificates he printed bore the FBI seal.

The training courses

Dos Santos organized multiple CEMA "chaplaincy training courses" at locations across the country. At these events, participants received identification cards bearing the counterfeit DHS seal, law enforcement badges, and course completion certificates stamped with the FBI seal.

The people who walked out of those rooms with fake federal credentials in their pockets? The government doesn't have a full accounting of who they are. During an undercover operation at one of Dos Santos's trainings on September 27, 2025, a confidential informant purchased CEMA merchandise — meaning the feds only caught on because someone happened to be in the room.

The question nobody has answered yet: how many training courses happened before that one, and who attended them?

The merch operation

This wasn't just fake badges. Dos Santos was running what amounted to a counterfeit federal merchandise store, selling:

• Polo shirts with DHS/FEMA seals
• Jackets with government branding
• Law enforcement badges
• Badge holders
• Bumper stickers

CEMA's website and social media accounts all displayed the counterfeit logo and falsely identified the organization as a government agency.

Mario Cesar Dos Santos, Jr., of Massachusetts, was arrested by @FBIJacksonville for allegedly using fraudulent government seals, including seals for @DHSgov, @fema & @FBI. Learn more: https://t.co/dCPo3ocjqS pic.twitter.com/lMhDRj7lwY— FBI Boston (@FBIBoston) February 27, 2026

The immigration angle

Dos Santos is a Brazilian national who came to the United States in 2016 and overstayed his visa. He is currently undergoing deportation proceedings — meaning the federal government already knew he was here illegally and was actively trying to remove him while he was simultaneously building a fake federal agency under their noses.

It gets worse. In connection with his immigration case, Dos Santos submitted multiple fraudulent documents to fight his removal — including a "Certificate of Ordination" and a diploma from the "University of Berkley" in Michigan.

That university does not exist.

The charges

Dos Santos has been charged by indictment with fraudulent use of government seals and faces a maximum of five years in federal prison. The case was investigated by the DHS Office of Inspector General and the FBI, with support from FEMA, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate, and the Federal Air Marshal Service.

The indictment was announced by United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe for the Middle District of Florida.

The case adds to a growing list of illegal immigrants in Massachusetts facing serious federal charges, from Tren de Aragua gang members charged in an ATM jackpotting scheme to an illegal immigrant caught with an untraceable rifle tied to a Lawrence shooting.

But this one raises a question the others don't: how many people are walking around right now with counterfeit federal law enforcement credentials that look like the real thing — and what are they using them for?