{"id":2584188,"date":"2026-03-26T16:41:02","date_gmt":"2026-03-26T20:41:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/doj-charges-dominicans-others-in-alleged-benefit-fraud-schemes-totaling-1-million\/"},"modified":"2026-03-26T16:44:42","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T20:44:42","slug":"doj-charges-dominicans-others-in-alleged-benefit-fraud-schemes-totaling-1-million","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/doj-charges-dominicans-others-in-alleged-benefit-fraud-schemes-totaling-1-million\/","title":{"rendered":"DOJ Charges Dominicans, Others In Alleged Benefit Fraud Scheme"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdoj-charges-dominicans-others-in-alleged-benefit-fraud-schemes-totaling-1-million%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2584188&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>U.S. Department of Justice charges nine individuals with fraudulently obtaining government benefits totaling nearly $1 million, with six of the suspects allegedly Dominican nationals illegally present in the United States.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Location and timeline: the charges cover suspects residing in massachusetts and New Hampshire over the past nine weeks,part of a broader effort that has unearthed nearly $9 million in benefit fraud since December.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; How the schemes worked: The defendants reportedly used stolen identities-often belonging to U.S. citizens from Puerto Rico-to obtain government-issued IDs (including Massachusetts RMV credentials) and sometimes passports, which were then used to apply for and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/arizonans-to-vote-on-ballot-measure-that-would-make-illegal-immigration-state-crime\/\" title=\"Arizonans to Decide on Making Illegal Immigration State Crime via Ballot Measure\">receive public benefits<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Benefits affected: The schemes targeted programs such as SNAP (food assistance), MassHealth (health care), and Social Security benefits.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Notable defendants and charges: Individuals include danis Piron Lara (51, Dominican national) charged with aggravated identity theft, unlawfully obtaining SNAP benefits, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hunter-bidens-attorneys-make-desperation-move-to-fight-gun-charges\/\" title=\"Hunter Biden&#039;s lawyers resort to desperate tactics in battling firearm allegations\">making false statements related<\/a> to a health care program; John doe (Wilkin Emilio Pimental Pereyra, 44); Oscar Gonzalez Melo (59); and Cruz Augusta Pena Arias (58). Other charged defendants include Erpawi Roque Collado (a lawful permanent resident) and Efrain Rivera (U.S. citizen from Puerto Rico), with various counts related to unlawful benefit receipt and identity theft.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Financial impact: About $943,197 in public benefits were reportedly lost due to these schemes.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; DOJ and state response: U.S. Attorney Leah Foley\u2019s office announced the cases and has formed a Benefit and Voter Fraud Team to investigate SNAP fraud, voter fraud, childcare fraud, and related offenses, including a fraud hotline (1-855-SCAM-MA-1).<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Context: The announcement is framed within broader concerns about fraud in various jurisdictions, including Minnesota, and follows discussions at the federal level about establishing a national anti-fraud strategy led by a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/san-francisco-hits-record-overdose-deaths\/\" title=\"San Francisco sets new overdose death record\">task force chaired<\/a> by Vice President Vance.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; About the article: Written by Shawn Fleetwood for The Federalist, it notes ongoing investigations and cites a push for accountability in benefit programs.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:SNAP*_Benefit_Feeds_Housholds_in_Need_(20120414-DM-LSC-3014).jpg\">Lance Cheung\/USDAgov\/Wikimedia Commons<\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/03\/26\/doj-charges-dominicans-others-in-alleged-benefit-fraud-schemes-totaling-1-million\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=DOJ%20Charges%20Dominicans,%20Others%20In%20Alleged%20Benefit%20Fraud%20Schemes%20Totaling%20%241%20Million&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/03\/26\/doj-charges-dominicans-others-in-alleged-benefit-fraud-schemes-totaling-1-million\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=DOJ%20Charges%20Dominicans,%20Others%20In%20Alleged%20Benefit%20Fraud%20Schemes%20Totaling%20%241%20Million&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/03\/26\/doj-charges-dominicans-others-in-alleged-benefit-fraud-schemes-totaling-1-million\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\" https:><\/path><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/03\/26\/doj-charges-dominicans-others-in-alleged-benefit-fraud-schemes-totaling-1-million\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=DOJ%20Charges%20Dominicans,%20Others%20In%20Alleged%20Benefit%20Fraud%20Schemes%20Totaling%20%241%20Million&amp;body=%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/03\/26\/doj-charges-dominicans-others-in-alleged-benefit-fraud-schemes-totaling-1-million\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &amp; Email\"><span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>The Department of Justice on Thursday announced charges against nine individuals accused of fraudulently obtaining government benefits totaling nearly $1 million. Six of the suspects are purportedly Dominican nationals illegally present in the United States.<\/p>\n<p>Brought by U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts Leah Foley, the charges come as part of the Trump administration&rsquo;s &ldquo;crackdown on benefit fraud schemes that exploited stolen identities to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxpayer-funded programs &mdash; including Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), MassHealth and Social Security benefits,&rdquo; according to a DOJ <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/usao-ma\/pr\/nine-charged-benefit-fraud-crackdown\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">press release<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2 d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-1634692988\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1463670073398-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The Justice Department said the announced charges have been brought against the aforementioned individuals residing in Massachusetts and New Hampshire throughout the past nine weeks. Almost &ldquo;$9 million in benefit fraud&rdquo; has been unearthed since December of last year, according to the agency.<\/p>\n<p>Among those charged is Danis Piron Lara, a 51-year-old Dominican national who is alleged to have committed &ldquo;aggravated identity theft, unlawfully obtaining SNAP benefits and making false statements relating to a health care program.&rdquo; Similar charges were brought against 44-year-old Dominican national John Doe (aka Wilkin Emilio Pimental Pereyra). Oscar Gonzalez Melo, 59, and Cruz Augusta Pena Arias, 58, were also charged with &ldquo;aggravated identity theft,&rdquo; among other charges. <\/p>\n<p>All four<strong> <\/strong>individuals unlawfully resided in Massachusetts, according to the agency.<\/p>\n<p>Others charged by the DOJ include Erpawi Roque Collado, a lawful permanent resident from the Dominican Republic, and Efrain Rivera, a U.S. citizen from Puerto Rico. The former was hit with a count of &ldquo;unlawfully obtaining SNAP benefits,&rdquo; while the latter was charged with &ldquo;unlawfully obtaining SNAP benefits, misuse of a Social Security number and aggravated identity theft.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>According to Foley&rsquo;s office, the suspects &ldquo;used stolen identities &mdash; often belonging to U.S. citizens from Puerto Rico &mdash; to obtain government-issued identification, including Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) credentials and, in some instances, U.S. passports, which were then used to apply for and receive public benefits.&rdquo; Roughly $943,197 in public benefit funds were lost as a result of the alleged schemes.<\/p>\n<p>The announcement of the charges came the same day Foley <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/usao-ma\/pr\/us-attorney-leah-b-foley-announces-fraud-coordinators-and-benefit-voter-fraud-team\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">named<\/a> two prosecutors to lead her new Benefit and Voter Fraud Team. Led by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Philip Mallard and Mark Grady, this task force is expected to investigate potential SNAP fraud, voter fraud, childcare fraud, and other areas of alleged fraud throughout Massachusetts. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It has become apparent that there are no guardrails in place in Massachusetts to address this rampant fraud, and there is zero accountability. It is time to take benefit fraud seriously,&rdquo; Foley <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/DMAnews1\/status\/2037214376122306842?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said<\/a> in a Thursday press conference. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"> <span class=\"UVwjFIyvs6lB0Mp3YHWuzxATbCQZ\"><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">&#128680; WATCH: U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley announces Fraud Coordinators and new Benefit &amp; Voter Fraud Team. Establishes fraud hotline.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It is time to hold criminals stealing taxpayer benefits accountable.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&#128222; 1-855-SCAM-MA-1<\/p>\n<p>READ MORE: <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/NcdfDO6k0V\">https:\/\/t.co\/NcdfDO6k0V<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/h9YxGF8tV6\">pic.twitter.com\/h9YxGF8tV6<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; U.S. Attorney Massachusetts (@DMAnews1) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DMAnews1\/status\/2037214376122306842?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 26, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/span> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Thursday&rsquo;s announcement comes amid purported <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/01\/14\/its-not-a-minnesota-problem-its-a-blue-state-problem\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">fraud schemes<\/a> unearthed in Democrat-run cities and states. The most prominent example is <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/minnesota\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Minnesota<\/a>, which has become a hotbed for <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/01\/27\/anti-ice-agitator-died-near-autism-center-charged-in-alleged-14-million-somali-fraud-scheme\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">alleged<\/a> fraud scandals <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/02\/09\/heres-where-prosecutors-should-look-for-more-evidence-of-somali-daycare-fraud\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">involving<\/a> the state&rsquo;s Somali community. <\/p>\n<p>The seemingly growing problem prompted President Trump to <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/03\/16\/us-news\/trump-to-formally-name-vance-chair-of-fraud-task-force-with-these-states-in-crosshairs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">appoint<\/a> Vice President Vance as chair of an <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >anti-fraud task force earlier<\/a> this month. The group is expected to &ldquo;develop a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rnc-announces-plans-to-sue-biden-over-vaccine-mandate\/\" title=\"RNC Announces Plans to Sue Biden Over Vaccine Mandate\">comprehensive national strategy<\/a> against fraud impacting programs administered with state and local governments to provide housing, food, medical and financial assistance,&rdquo; according to the New York Post. <\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He is a co-recipient of the 2025 Dao Prize for Excellence in Investigative Journalism. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics and RealClearHealth. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Shawn Fleetwood<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author-twitter label-sm d-flex align-items-center mt-10\">             <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter me-5\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>             <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Visit on Twitter<\/span>            <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ShawnFleetwood\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-decoration-none\">@ShawnFleetwood<\/a>           <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/shawnfleetwood\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/department-of-justice\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Department of Justice<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/doj\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">DOJ<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/fraud\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Fraud<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/illegal-aliens\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">illegal aliens<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/leah-foley\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Leah Foley<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/massachusetts\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Massachusetts<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/snap\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">SNAP<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/social-security\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Social Security<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/trump-administration\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Trump Administration<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/waste-fraud-abuse\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">waste fraud abuse<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>DOJ charges 9 over nearly $1M in fraud; six Dominicans<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":539,"featured_media":2584189,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/SNAP.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[4848,7076,6909],"class_list":["post-2584188","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-benefits","tag-doj","tag-fraud"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/SNAP.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2584188","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/539"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2584188"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2584188\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2584192,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2584188\/revisions\/2584192"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2584189"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2584188"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2584188"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2584188"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}