11 suspected illegal immigrants among 15 arrested for $1.4 MILLION welfare fraud in Massachusetts

11 suspected illegal immigrants are among 15 people who were busted in fraud cases amounting to $1.4 million in Massachusetts. The defendants allegedly defrauded the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Social Security, the MassHealth program, and other benefit programs in order to obtain the $1.4 million.

“These cases highlight a broader, deeply troubling pattern: the exploitation of America’s safety-net by illegal aliens,” said Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald for the National Fraud Enforcement Division. “Fraud by illegal aliens carries real and substantial costs to American taxpayers and places enormous strain on our public benefits systems. The Fraud Division remains laser-focused on rooting out fraud — whether committed by illegal aliens or anyone else — and recovering money wrongfully taken from the American people.” 

One of the defendants, Heriberto Rodriguez of Framingham, has been accused of committing over $546,000 in benefit fraud involving MassHealth, Social Security, housing assistance, and SNAP benefits.

During a news conference on Thursday, McDonald said, "Alarmingly, 11 of the 15 charged defendants are suspected illegal aliens, some of whom assumed stolen identities to steal these taxpayer-funded benefits and avoid detection.”

"In some cases, the victims of these crimes, the rightful beneficiaries of these funds, could not access benefits they needed," McDonald added. "American citizens were boxed out of these programs because illegal aliens took their names to then take their money."

The case comes as there has been a nationwide crackdown on fraud and people taking advantage of the American welfare system.

The defendants included four US citizens, as well as four men identified as only John Doe, who were suspected of being illegal immigrants.  The 11 named defendants include Rodriguez, Mirian Chalas, Santo Escolastico Cuello, Mario Baez Romero, Richard Odelis Vallegas Nunez, Miguel Diaz Matos, Mitul Patel, Santo Tejada Sanchez, Jennifer Ferran, Owen Landry, and Yahaira Diaz Gomez. Most of those who were confirmed to be illegal immigrants were Dominican nationals.