9 people charged in government benefit fraud crackdown in Mass., NH, feds say

BOSTON — Nine people, of whom seven are living in the United States illegally, have been charged in a government benefit fraud crackdown in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, the U.S. Attorney said Thursday.

One of the accused, listed as “John Doe” because their true identity is unknown, used a stolen identity to obtain Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits while living in Hyde Park, U.S. Attorney Leah Foley said in a statement.

The benefit fraud schemes used stolen identities to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxpayer-funded programs – including SNAP, MassHealth, and Social Security benefits, Foley said.

Nearly $9 million in benefit fraud has been uncovered since December 2025, Foley said.

Over the past nine weeks, prosecutors said the following people were charged with benefit fraud involving federal and state assistance programs:

1. Juan Felipe Chalas, 58, a Dominican national unlawfully residing in Salem, N.H., was charged with making a false statement in a passport application, aggravated identity theft, and unlawfully obtaining SNAP benefits;
2. Efrain Rivera, 54, a U.S. citizen from Puerto Rico, living in New Bedford, was charged with unlawfully obtaining SNAP benefits, misuse of a Social Security number, and aggravated identity theft;
3. Danis Piron Lara, 51, a Dominican national unlawfully residing in Dorchester was charged with aggravated identity theft, unlawfully obtaining SNAP benefits, and making false statements relating to a health care program;
4. Erpawi Roque Collado, 53, a Lawful Permanent Resident living in Boston who was born in the Dominican Republic, was charged with unlawfully obtaining SNAP benefits;
5. John Doe aka Wilkin Emilio Pimental Pereyra, 44, a Dominican national unlawfully residing in Boston, was charged with aggravated identity theft, theft of government benefits, and unlawfully obtaining SNAP benefits;
6. John Doe, an individual whose true identity is unknown, who was living in Hyde Park, was charged with unlawfully obtaining SNAP benefits, misuse of a Social Security number, and aggravated identity theft;
7. Mercedes Soto Capellan, 53, a Dominican national unlawfully residing in Lawrence, was charged with unlawfully obtaining SNAP benefits;
8. Oscar Gonzalez Melo, 59, a Dominican national unlawfully residing in Boston, was charged with unlawfully obtaining SNAP benefits, making false statements related to health care benefits, making false statements related to Social Security benefits, and aggravated identity theft; and
9. Cruz Augusta Pena Arias, 58, a Dominican national unlawfully residing in Salem, Mass., was charged with making a false statement in an application for a U.S. passport, aggravated identity theft, and unlawfully obtaining SNAP benefits.

Prosecutors allege that the defendants used stolen identities – often belonging to U.S. citizens from Puerto Rico – to obtain government-issued identification, including Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles credentials and, in some instances, U.S. passports, which were then used to apply for and receive public benefits.

In some cases, the defendants are alleged to have used stolen identities over extended periods of time, including one person accused of living under a stolen identity for more than 20 years.

Some defendants are alleged to have obtained benefits across multiple programs, including SNAP, MassHealth, and Social Security.

Several times, the defendants allegedly provided stolen identities to law enforcement during prior arrests, and at least one defendant has a prior conviction under the same identity.

According to the charging documents, the alleged schemes resulted in approximately $943,197 in total losses to public assistance programs – including approximately $149,775 in SNAP benefits, approximately $776,715 in MassHealth benefits, and approximately $16,707 in Social Security benefits.

The charge of unlawfully obtaining SNAP benefits provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, 3 years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

The charge of aggravated identity theft provides for a mandatory two-year sentence to run consecutively to any other sentence imposed, one year of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

The charge of misusing a Social Security number provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

The charge of theft of government property provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, 3 years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

The charge of making a false statement in an application for a United States passport provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, 3 years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

The charge of making false statements relating to a health care program provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, one year of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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