Roxbury man convicted for using stolen identity for 40 years

BOSTON — A Roxbury man who officials say spent the last 40 years using someone else's identity was convicted on Wednesday by a federal judge in Boston.

John Doe, whose true identity is unknown, was convicted of aggravated identity theft, using a passport obtained through false statements, stealing public funds and misuse of a Social Security number.

According to authorities, Doe, who is suspected to be a Dominican national, somehow obtained the birth certificate of a U.S. citizen from Puerto Rico in 1975. At first, since he didn't have the individual's Social Security number, Doe either created or obtained a Social Security card with the man's name and a non-matching number that had been assigned to a different citizen from Puerto Rico.

From 1975 to 1994, Doe used the counterfeit Social Security card to find employment, first in New York, and later in Boston.

In 1994, the IRS mailed Doe a notice saying the name and number on his Social Security card didn't match and instructed him to visit his local SSA office to resolve the issue.

At the SSA in Roxbury, Doe somehow deceived an SSA employee into believing he was the person whose identity he had stolen and he had forgotten his real Social Security number.

After providing the employee with the name, date of birth, place of birth and parent's names on the U.S. citizen's birth certificate, the employee provided Doe with a Social Security card with the U.S. citizen's name and true Social Security number on it.

For the next 18 years, Doe used the Social Security card until the U.S. citizen died in 2012. At that point, the SSA learned someone in Massachusetts had been using a deceased person's Social Security information and began a fraud investigation.

Doe used the stolen identity to work in Boston, obtain and travel on a U.S. passport, apply for unemployment benefits, and obtain public housing benefits for himself and his family.

Doe may face up to two years in prison for aggravated identity theft, to be served consecutive to any other sentence imposed, up to one year of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. The charges of using a passport obtained through false statements, and stealing public funds, each provide for a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of misuse of a Social Security number provides for a sentence of no greater than five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Doe's sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 18.

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