Dominican man sentenced in fraudulent identity document scheme
BOSTON — An illegal alien residing in Dorchester, Massachusetts, was sentenced to federal prison Tuesday on charges that he used the identity of another man in an attempt to fraudulently obtain identification documents, following a joint investigation by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force, which includes the Social Security Administration and U.S. Postal Inspections Service and State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service.
Richar Steward Cabral Baez, 35, was sentenced to 10 months in prison, and two years of supervised release for providing false statements in an application for a passport and misrepresentation of a social security account number. In March 2013, the task force received information that an individual had possibly assumed the identity of a United States citizen, the ensuing investigation determined that Cabral Baez had committed identity theft by assuming the identity of two U.S. citizens.
ICE lodged a detainer for Cabral-Baez, a citizen of the Dominican Republic, who obtained narcotics convictions while using the stolen identities.
"The fraudulent use of identification documents, both real and counterfeit, represents a very real threat to our public safety and the security of our nation," said Bruce Foucart, special agent in charge for HSI Boston. "Through the combined authorities and expertise of our partners on the Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force, we will continue to aggressively target those who try to mask their true identity."
Established in April 2006, the ICE task forces focus their efforts on detecting, deterring and disrupting both document and benefit fraud. Investigators from a variety of agencies with expertise in different aspects of fraud collaborate with U.S. Attorneys' Offices around the country to formulate a comprehensive approach in targeting the criminal organizations and the beneficiaries behind these fraudulent schemes.
Through collaboration and partnership, the task forces maximize resources, eliminate duplication of efforts, and produce a strong law enforcement presence. They combine a variety of law enforcement tools and authorities to achieve focused, high-impact criminal prosecutions and financial seizures.
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