11 Illegal Aliens Arrested In Connection With $1.4 Million Fraud Scheme

The U.S. Justice Department has announced charges against 15 people in Massachusetts for their alleged roles in a benefits fraud scheme totaling more than $1.4 million.

The case involves Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, formerly known as food stamps, MassHealth (Massachusetts’ Medicaid program), Social Security disability benefits, housing assistance through the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and other public programs.

11 of those charged have been identified in court documents as unlawfully present in the United States, with several identified as nationals of the Dominican Republic and one from India. The remaining four are U.S. citizens.

The charges include offenses such as aggravated identity theft, making false statements relating to health care programs, SNAP fraud, passport fraud, theft of government funds, and conspiracy to commit visa fraud.

According to the DOJ, the individuals allegedly used stolen identities or false information to obtain benefits for which they were not eligible. Specific examples detailed in the announcement include large-scale alleged fraud by some defendants.

Heriberto Rodriguez of Framingham is charged in connection with approximately $546,463 in total losses across multiple programs. Santo Escolastico Cuello, a Dominican national living in Worcester, faces charges related to $162,180 in MassHealth fraud.

Other cases involve smaller but still significant amounts, such as $48,865 in MassHealth fraud alleged against Richard Odelis Vallegas Nunez and $48,694 against Yahaira Diaz Gomez.

Several defendants are identified only as John Doe in the filings because they were allegedly living under stolen identities. One such individual in Quincy faces charges tied to $11,000 in SNAP fraud, while others in Lynn are linked to tens of thousands in MassHealth losses. Mario Baez Romero, a Dominican national in Somerville, was reportedly encountered during a vessel interdiction in Florida earlier in 2026.

“Today’s announcement is just the beginning of what will be a sustained and ongoing effort to arrest and charge 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,” said U.S. Attorney Leah 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,” she added. “This is all ending on my watch. Beginning today, we will be announcing benefit fraud charges on a rolling basis.”

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