Four individuals in Massachusetts have been indicted by federal prosecutors for using stolen identities to commit fraud, unlawfully obtaining over $1 million in food stamp benefits and pandemic unemployment relief funds. The case stems from actions by the Trump administration to crack down on waste in government assistance programs.
According to prosecutors, the defendants used stolen identities to fraudulently obtain benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, using the federal program, commonly known as food stamps, to purchase chicken, beef, pork, and other bulk food items for one defendant’s restaurant.
Leah Foley, the federal prosecutor for Massachusetts, stated at a press conference in Boston that between 2023 and 2025, the defendants fraudulently obtained $440,000 in benefits from the food stamp program, which is designed to assist low-income Americans and managed by individual states.
The defendants also allegedly submitted false pandemic unemployment assistance applications in Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Nevada between 2020 and 2021, further fraudulently obtaining over $700,000.
Foley indicated that this case is a microcosm of the widespread welfare fraud occurring nationwide, as highlighted by the Trump administration’s allegations.
She noted, “There is rampant fraud occurring nationwide, this is no secret.”
One of the defendants, Raul Fernandez Vicioso, a Dominican Republic native and naturalized U.S. citizen who operates the “El Primo Restaurant” in Leominster, Massachusetts, has agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy and fraud charges.
The other three defendants, including one Dominican citizen with a U.S. green card and two relatives from Venezuela who previously had temporary protected status but have since lost legal residency, have been arrested on fraud-related charges and are facing trial in federal court in Worcester County, Massachusetts.
While Fernandez has admitted guilt, the only female defendant has indicated she will not plead guilty, and the other defense attorneys have not made statements.
In a separate case in Massachusetts last December involving the trafficking of $7 million in food stamp program benefits, Foley prosecuted two store owners in the state.
During the prosecution, Foley criticized Democratic-led states like Massachusetts for refusing to provide data on SNAP recipients to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, including their names and immigration status.
Massachusetts received over $2.6 billion in SNAP benefits from the USDA in the 2025 fiscal year.
Democrats have opposed providing information on SNAP recipients, citing concerns that it could be used for immigration enforcement.
(This article is based on a Reuters report)