BOSTON — Nine people have been charged in a federal crackdown on benefit fraud after investigators say they used stolen identities — many belonging to U.S. citizens from Puerto Rico — to fraudulently obtain nearly $1 million in taxpayer-funded government benefits.

The charges, announced Thursday by the U.S. Attorney's Office, are part of an ongoing enforcement blitz that has uncovered nearly $9 million in benefit fraud since December 2025.

The alleged schemes targeted SNAP (food stamps), MassHealth, and Social Security — with one defendant allegedly living under a stolen identity for more than 20 years.

The defendants

The nine defendants charged over the past nine weeks include:

Juan Felipe Chalas, 58, a Dominican national unlawfully residing in Salem, N.H. — charged with false passport application, aggravated identity theft, and unlawfully obtaining SNAP benefits
Efrain Rivera, 54, of New Bedford — charged with unlawfully obtaining SNAP benefits, misuse of a Social Security number, and aggravated identity theft
Danis Piron Lara, 51, a Dominican national unlawfully residing in Dorchester — charged with aggravated identity theft, unlawfully obtaining SNAP and MassHealth benefits
Erpawi Roque Collado, 53, a lawful permanent resident in Boston, born in the Dominican Republic — charged with unlawfully obtaining SNAP benefits
"John Doe" aka Wilkin Emilio Pimental Pereyra, 44, a Dominican national unlawfully residing in Boston — charged with aggravated identity theft, theft of government benefits, and unlawfully obtaining SNAP
"John Doe", true identity unknown, living in Hyde Park — charged with unlawfully obtaining SNAP, misuse of SSN, and aggravated identity theft
Mercedes Soto Capellan, 53, a Dominican national unlawfully residing in Lawrence — charged with unlawfully obtaining SNAP benefits
Oscar Gonzalez Melo, 59, a Dominican national unlawfully residing in Boston — charged with unlawfully obtaining SNAP, false MassHealth and Social Security statements, and aggravated identity theft
Cruz Augusta Pena Arias, 58, a Dominican national unlawfully residing in Salem — charged with false passport application, aggravated identity theft, and unlawfully obtaining SNAP

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How it worked

The defendants allegedly used stolen identities — often belonging to U.S. citizens from Puerto Rico — to obtain government-issued IDs, including Massachusetts RMV credentials and, in some cases, U.S. passports. Those documents were then used to apply for and receive public benefits they weren't entitled to.

Some defendants used the stolen identities across multiple programs simultaneously. Others allegedly maintained the fraud for years. In multiple instances, defendants gave stolen identities to law enforcement during prior arrests. At least one defendant has a prior conviction under the same stolen identity.

The damage

According to charging documents, the total losses from the nine cases amount to approximately $943,197:

$776,715 in MassHealth benefits
$149,775 in SNAP benefits
$16,707 in Social Security benefits

The broader crackdown has uncovered nearly $9 million in benefit fraud since December 2025.

What they face

The charge of unlawfully obtaining SNAP benefits carries up to 20 years in prison. Aggravated identity theft adds a mandatory two-year sentence on top of any other sentence. Other charges carry up to 5-10 years each.

The investigation was led by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General.

Nine charged in Massachusetts benefit fraud crackdown that's uncovered millions in stolen benefits — including seven illegal immigrants who used stolen identities to collect SNAP, MassHealth, and Social Security

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