The Justice Department Fraud Taskforce announced today fifteen individuals, 11 illegal aliens and four U.S. citizens, have been charged and arrested for benefit fraud in Massachusetts. The defendants are charged with more than $1.4 million in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefit fraud, MassHealth benefit fraud and disability and unemployment benefit fraud.
Assistant AG Colin McDonald and Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Leah Foley announced currently there are 650 fraud investigations ongoing nationwide. In the Massachusetts operation the illegal aliens used stolen American identities to defraud welfare benefits. WATCH:
DOJ ANNOUNCEMENT – […] The following individuals have been charged over the past week. Several defendants’ names are currently unknown at this time, as they have been living under stolen identities:
- Heriberto Rodriguez of Framingham, Mass., is charged with passport fraud, SNAP fraud, and aggravated identity theft in connection with $546,463 in total benefit fraud loss ($175,182 in MassHealth fraud; $146,944 in Social Security fraud; $185,194 in HUD fraud; and $39,000 in SNAP fraud);
- Mirian Chalas, 33, a U.S. citizen living in Salem N.H., is charged with making false statements in connection with $266,000 in MassHealth fraud; $25,000 in Social Security Disability fraud; and $12,000 in SNAP fraud;
- Santo Escolastico Cuello, 56, a Dominican national unlawfully living in Worcester, Mass., is charged with aggravated identity theft and making false statements relating to a health care program in connection with $162,180 in MassHealth fraud;
- John Doe, age unknown, suspected to be in the United States illegally, is charged with false representation of a Social Security number, aggravated identity theft and making false statements relating to a health care program in connection with MassHealth fraud totaling $75,000 and aggravated identity theft;
- John Doe, age unknown, suspected to be in the United States illegally living in Quincy, Mass., is charged with illegal acquisition or use of SNAP benefits, theft of government funds and aggravated identity theft in connection with SNAP benefit fraud totaling $11,000;
- Mario Baez Romero, 45, a Dominican national unlawfully living in Somerville, Mass., is charged with aggravated identity theft and passport fraud in connection with $26,942 in SNAP fraud and $48,785 in MassHealth Baez Romero was allegedly encountered during an interdiction of a recreational vessel near Key Biscayne in Miami, Fla. in May 2026;
- Richard Odelis Vallegas Nunez, 35, a Dominican national unlawfully living in Allston, Mass., is charged with aggravated identity theft and unlawful production of an identification document in connection with $48,865 in MassHealth fraud;
- Miguel Diaz Matos, 54, a Dominican national living in Lynn, Mass., is charged with illegal acquisition or use of SNAP benefits, theft of government funds and aggravated identity theft in connection with $13,431 in SNAP fraud and $50,494 in MassHealth fraud;
- John Doe, age unknown, suspected to be in the United States illegally, is charged with making false statements related to a health care program in connection with $32,717 in MassHealth fraud;
- John Doe, age unknown, suspected to be in the United States illegally, living in Lynn, Mass., is charged with aggravated identity theft and making false statements relating to a health care program in connection with $38,776 in MassHealth fraud;
- Mitul Patel, 40, an Indian national unlawfully living in Worcester, Mass., is charged with conspiracy to commit visa fraud, in which co-conspirators staged a false armed robbery of a convenience store to allow “victims” such as Patel, to seek U Visas as victims of violent crimes;
- Santo Tejada Sanchez, 48, a Dominican national unlawfully living in Haverhill, Mass., is charged with aggravated identity theft, theft of government funds and SNAP benefit fraud totaling $4,054;
- Jennifer Ferran, 48, a U.S. Citizen living in Haverhill, Mass., is charged with theft of government property, Social Security fraud and furnishing false information to Social Security in connection with over $29,000 in Social Security fraud;
- Owen Landry, a/k/a “Oski,” 24, a U.S. citizen living in Haverhill, Mass., is charged with theft of government property, Social Security fraud and furnishing false information to Social Security in connection with over $29,000 in Social Security fraud; and
- Yahaira Diaz Gomez, 45, a Dominican national living in Mattapan, Mass., is charged with making false statements relating to a health care program in connection with $48,694 MassHealth fraud.
“Today’s announcement is just the beginning of what will be a sustained and ongoing effort to arrest and charged individuals for benefit fraud in Massachusetts. The defendants charged today, stole from a number of programs, including SNAP and MassHealth – which are designed to assist U.S. citizens in need of food and health care. They allegedly stole tens of thousands of dollars each in benefits for which they are not entitled,” said U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley. “There isn’t any place else in the world where you can go and be handed free food, free housing, free healthcare and free monthly checks, while being in the country illegally. However, it appears that you can come to Massachusetts and steal as many benefits as you want without fear and without any accountability. This is all ending on my watch. Beginning today, we will be announcing benefit fraud charges on a rolling basis.” (MORE)
Tip of the fraud iceberg.
Just the tip
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Wicked mind!
Tip for sure, but this is one more reminder to the trolls on this site that those under Trump, therefore Trump, are doing something. Not just sitting on their hands.
DOJ needs to indict gov’t officials and pols that facilitated the fraud and benefitted from the fraud.
The stealing will never end until the gatekeepers are imprisoned.
Like asking the fox to guard the hen house. But absolutely correct.
Most people can not apply for SS or disability without a Shyster yet not one is involved in these indictments ?
and to make matters worse, the shyster is paid for by the taxpayers… the beneficiary doesn’t pay for the lawyer, it’s a separate additional expense paid by the taxpayer… completely free for the applicant.
Yes, a free lawyer to get public benefits.
Just like their immigration attorneys. All free. To the free-loader, that is.
true
I strongly agree; and my website discusses how this can be accomplished effectively without political favor or influence.
Which helps explain why kilmar garcia is enjoying life in Mary land.
“Facilitated” and “benefited from” are key to this whole fraudulent scheme.
Those Dominicans sure do like to ripoff the government.
Ive had Dominicans lie to my face so im not surprised.
Those Dominicans like so many others would not have made such a business of looting the Treasury without accomplices in the State and local governments enabling it and looking the other way instead of exercising their fiduciary duties to their communities to prevent, mitigate and investigate fraud.
The same applies to so many illegal aliens that have depended on certain NGOs, so-called non-profits and so-called charities to “sponsor” them as they all break the law by receiving benefits to which they are not entitled.
If lying were a college course, most of the professors teaching it would be from the Dominican Republic and most of them would be women. I have often wondered what makes the Dominican Republic a Republic? Why does anyone go there?
Scum. Nail them.
These are scams that have been ongoing in the one-party Commonwealth of Massachusetts for years. The Democrats who run it, Attorney General and Governor, have had no interest in stopping the fraud of illegals. It took a Trump appointed US Attorney to charge these individuals.
Sounds like Minnesota all over again… Gov. Walz, etc.
“Fraud of illegals” equals Votes……… simple as that!
Massholes are like the plague. They have ruined all of northern New England by relocating in droves. I lived in New Hampshire for almost 30 years and watched it change from red to blue during that time. Most escaped because of high taxes but still voted dimmocrat. Go figure. For years I had bumper sticker on my car that said “Live free or live in Massachussets” The NH license plate has “Live free or die” on it. I once was driving behind a car that the owner had covered over that slogan? Huh?
Do we really have a budget deficit or do we give it away in fraud.
I’ll take “Give it away in fraud” for $200, Alex.
“I’ll take “Give it away in fraud” for $200, Alex.”
Make it for $500. Gotta adjust for inflation…………….
We have an income tax deficit of 100%. As in, we shouldn’t have 0 income tax. That is the quickest way to stop the fraud, stop the growing debt, and stop the corruption of our government. Take the money train away, and it all goes bye bye. Collect sales tax and tariffs to pay down the debt. No more foreign aid. Cut it off at its source.
A bit off topic…
The Feds Just DROPPED Hammer (269 charges) On Antifa Direct Action Minnesota!
269 charges on Antifa.
Well, that is a decent start.
I look forward to that being eventually a four digit number with serious prison time for the prime organizers and financiers (I’m looking at you, George S).
You Fund This
http://www.youfundthis.com
“They’re not sending their best.” No they’re not, but they sure stream in with an appetite.
Was in the grocery store this morning, and was urged by a chirpy overhead recording to apply for a supplemental EBT, now that “the kids are out of school”.
The taxpayer-funded, over-lapping programs seem to multiply as rapidly as the parasites who abuse them.
Bureaucrats insuring their own job security.
They cannot be solving problems as then their job would have no purpose, so they cultivate issues and always go for the mission creep to generate ever larger budgets. Looters and moochers everywhere revel in it.
Exactly!
I want to see some of the big guys go down. These little pissant illegals are nobodies. Who’s enabling all this fraud to happen in the first place? I want to see THOSE people frog-marched to gallows!
Open any door of any welfare office in any State, any door at a DMV in any State and there you will find numerous people selling their fellow Americans out.
Interesting, but hardly surprising.
Now do Maine, it’s practically right next door to Massachusetts. In fact the whole region is a target rich environment for catching fraudsters ripping off the healthcare and or welfare programs.
If the fraud in Chicagoland alone were fixed, the budget would be balanced.
16% of Lewiston, Maine is Somali.
Minneapolis on the Atlantic…
Make that the entire Northeast!
It is all over. I doubt that even red states like Fl or Tx have some level of fraud simply because the government oversight is so lax.
Yes, indeedy!
And NY – please oh please.
Amazing how easy it is for politicians and illegals to steal from this country while there are absolutely no gatekeepers whatsoever like the hundreds of billions stolen in Minnesota and California and every single state in America.
The Cloward-Piven strategy was much of the point.
Drain the Treasury and grind the people into dust financially between excessive taxation, regulations, and inflation.
Orbo ab Chao.
To create, sometimes you must first destroy.
Jail time required and then seportation. If a second time jail time longer
Illegal aliens are better than Americans in one respect, they’re definitely better at fraud!!
Don’t minimize their skill set. Breeding, machete skills, child rape, breeding, DUI, driving without license, registration, or insurance, breeding, driving big rigs without language skills, welfare and Medicaid, the list goes on.
Did I mention breeding?
Perhaps they hone all these skills at the esteemed, taxpayer-funded Learing Centers.
Related topic…
Here in MA the media has successfully ignited a new crisis in the form of wrong-way drivers following two high-profile head on collisions involving LEOs in the Peabody area, one of which resulted in the death of a young state trooper. The killer was an illegal alien from Central America.
For the past several weeks the MA media market has been saturated by a full court propaganda press, including the state funeral pageant and full coverage of any and all minor traffic accidents.
Now that the public has been successfully cowed, Aufseherin Healey has announced the Solution to the Problem she has created. It does not involve cracking down on illegals or cooperating with ICE of course, but it does involve increasing state funding and expanding the surveillance state:
“MassDOT will retrofit existing signalized intersections and mainline camera systems with new wrong-way detection technology at approximately 430 locations across the state. The technology will identify wrong-way movements and provide real-time alerts to transportation officials and law enforcement. New hardware will be installed within existing signal cabinets to enable data collection, detection, and notification capabilities…
In addition, MassDOT is also piloting next-generation wrong-way detection technologies at locations without existing infrastructure and using data collected to identify locations that require more significant roadway improvements to reduce driver confusion…”
In other news CCP Local Party Boss Michelle Wu pushed to keep Boston bars open until 3 AM for World Cup fans, which is composed entirely of the city’s non-American demographic of illegals, resident aliens, and pretentious white liberals. This follows her declaration that people leaving bars during the Patriot’s Superbowl game would not be allowed to re-enter after half time. All drinkers are equal, but some drinkers are more equal than others.
Fortunately, we don’t have an epidemic of drunk illegals driving the wrong way and killing young state troopers in head on collisions. More fortunately, we don’t have politicians grand-standing at the funerals of young state troopers killed in head-on collisions caused by drunk illegals. And most fortunately of all, said politicians are not immediately turning around and doubling down on policy that will lead to more young state troopers being killed in head-on collisions by drunk illegals, by doing things such as refusing to cooperate with ICE and keeping bars open later than usual for events which specifically interest illegal aliens…
The only person who hates the average Massachusetts Voter more than the average Massachusetts Voter is the Massachusetts Politician.
Fraud is the fruit of the chaos, chaos is the water which nurtures the expansion of the state, and the state is sower of fraud. That was the case in Minnesota, and it is here.
Spending and wasting more taxpayer dollars when a far more simple solution would be far more sensible and effective….but makes too much common sense for the liberal lesbi@n governor to implement.
STOP giving the ILLEGAL ALIENS state issued driver’s licenses. She-and other liberal state officials across the country -are giving far too many people who cannot read road signs green lights to commit far too many violations and crimes against American citizens resulting in countless injuries and deaths.
This insanity has got to stop…
“STOP giving the ILLEGAL ALIENS state issued driver’s licenses.”
When you renew your license it MUST be done online. The renewal process online takes you to a page where you are asked to register to vote. You can not renew without registering to vote. Unless, of course, you are here illegally. At this point the illegals are sent to a different page in the license renewal process. This is how the State manufacturers their separate data base of illegals of voting age. When there is a need for election “ballots”, the list of names, ages, and addresses can be accessed without fear of anyone on the list casting a vote, as we all know illegals never vote. (wink, wink. nudge, nudge) Motor Voter laws are the gateway to illegal election vote manipulation.
What state do you live in? In PA you can renew online, at a PENNDOT Driver’s License Center or at an authorized agency that works with PENNDOT (agency fees are applied on top of the state fees). Of course, you are asked if you want to register to vote in all three methods of renewal but it is not mandatory… yet.
Every time some Masschusetts politics enters my attention, I am glad I moved a long time ago. The fact that my old state is being run into the ground by a female (lesbian) Governor, a female Lt. Governor, a female AG, a female Senate President, and a female Transportation Secretary, among others, who are all far left isn’t the least bit surprising. You gotta just love the diversity, right? That said, IIRC, Massachusetts has been giving away driver’s licenses to illegals since Mike Dukakis was governor. It’s just been formalized now.
RIP to my former Congressman Barny Frank who never represented me once.
It is all about the votes/ballots to the politicians. The number one priority to a politician is getting re-elected.
If the country was in need of an enema the hose would be inserted in MA
This is great news.
Now why has this not been occurring regularly for the last 40 years? I think we all know the answer, failure by design.
But no Democrats?
lot of aliens named John Doe
Juan Does….
This sounds great but we’re getting nowhere with these things.
For example.
Look up Monica Cannon Grant. From Massachusetts.
She’s a grifter who stole over a million bucks during the George Floyd nonsense.
The liberal trash judge that Biden appointed didn’t give her any time in prison.
From the Boston herald yesterday:
“ Monica Cannon-Grant, who was convicted of federal corruption charges for taking the proceeds from an anti-violence charity, is trying to temporarily get out of home detention.
Cannon-Grant earlier this year was sentenced to six months of home confinement and four years of probation after she pleaded guilty to 18 fraud charges — three counts of wire fraud conspiracy, 10 counts of wire fraud, four counts related to false or unfiled tax returns, and a single count of mail fraud.
Federal prosecutors wanted to lock her up in prison for a year-and-a-half.”
Did Monica get to keep the money? Asking for a friend.
Trying to ‘temporarily’ get out of home detention. Monica Shape-of-a-Cannonball-Grant wants to spend some of her stolen $$’s at the drive-thru at her local KFC. Maybe meet Gov. Lezzbo McBullDyykke at her favorite Dunkin for some dessert too.
Then stop at the supermarket and stock up on lots of F O O D. Poor Monica is HUNGRY, and it is Juneteeempf to boot. Three day holiday weekend for Monica Three-tons-of-fun-Grant.
Hunka’ Hunka’ burning love!!! 😫😵🤢🤮
If they REALLY wanted to investigate fraud in the not so great state of Massachusetts, every politician in the state would have made the list….
I think we need to start saying it is just “smidgen” instead of “tip”, in honor of “garbage can library man”. lol
Why aren’t the names ilhan omar and tim waltz on the list?
100% agree!
DOJ! DOJ! DOJ!
One of the efforts I’d like to see taken care of is those who come/came here who have many wives with many children on welfare. Way I look at it, if you have more than one wife, then you can work and so can all the other wives as it would only take one to care for the kids. No welfare for you.
Since the Dems count fraud as reparations, are we all square now?
Oh, reparations are just starting. Wait until tomorrow. Juneteenth, they will burn are create all kinds of chaos to let you know what they “have” isn’t enough.
Every year this since Juneteenth has been made a “national holiday”, it has been nothing more than a free-dom ticket to cause destruction.
Do do underestimate the power that envy has over these people.
It is not in the nature of one in the grips of envy to ever be satisfied with what they have. The mindset is what is theirs is theirs, and what is yours, is theirs too.
Thank you for these reports Sundance and crew. It was great that those Antifas were charged or arrested in MN too.
Keep up the good work DOJ and all good LEOs.
Seniors wondering if SS will be there for them.
Meanwhile a 24 year old is collecting an amount in the thousands; that would take someone legally receiving a year or two to collect.
That John Doe sure gets around 😆
For those outside Mass, the indictments represent a fairly good geographical representation of the state and its illegal population centers: Greater Boston (Mattapan, Allston, Somerville, Quincy), Metro-West (Framingham), the North Shore (Haverhill, Lynn), and Central Mass (Worcester).
One major area missing is the New Bedford/Fall River area along the border with Rhode Island. This might be due to the fact that these indictments seem to focus mainly on Dominican fraud rings, while the immigrant and illegal populations in New Bedford/Fall River area are disproportionately Portuguese/Brazilian.
Springfield in Central Mass is also not represented, for some reason. Nevertheless the location of these indictments shows there is systematic fraud throughout the state.
Six months ago my Medicare info was stolen and 7,000 US dollars was paid to a fake company. Here’s the kicker: while reporting the fraud to CMS the Tier 2 operator (a bullshit position) stated that they were aware of this particular fraud activity and the criminal entity submitting fraudulent charges but paid it anyway. The level of fraud is so much worse than anyone can imagine. When it’s not your money, you simply don’t care what happens to it.
Keeping the promise,
These are all Democrats stealing from the poor, stealing food right off of their tables, forcing them to live on the street in squalor whilst their children die of starvation and disease. Jail them accordingly.
At least that’s how Democrats portray anyone who grows rich by hard work and innovation, providing hundreds of jobs and livelihoods (unlike the fraudsters).
I appreciate them calling attention to the ‘little fish’ prosecutions as well as the glutinous pigs that were basically begging to get caught. It provides a strong deterrent to those entertaining fraud as a career path.
It is next to nothing. It isn’t the tip of a pin needle!
There is 100 times more fraud in Columbus, Ohio right now, than these people are capble of finding in the next decade.
Ramp up. RAMP THE F, UP.
Do a hundred times this, because THIS is a drop in the bucket.
The tip of the iceberg. Now get to work. Let’s put some 00’s behind those indictments.