Four defendants, including 2 Venezuelans, used 115 stolen identities in massive food stamp fraud

Four people, including 2 Venezuelan citizens, utilized 115 stolen identities successful a $1 cardinal nutrient stamps and pandemic unemployment fraud scheme, the Justice Department said Tuesday. 

Federal prosecutors said the suspects stole the identities from radical each crossed the country, including six children, to get supplemental nutrition assistance programme (SNAP) benefits successful Massachusetts and Rhode Island and pandemic unemployment benefits from Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Washington and Nevada.

The defendants were identified arsenic Joel Vicioso Fernandez, 42, and Raul Fernandez Vicioso, 37, some of Fitchburg, Massachusetts; and Roman Vequiz Fernandez, 32, and Coralba Albarracin Siniva, 24, some Venezuelan nationals surviving successful Leominster, Massachusetts.

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Raul Fernandez Vicioso is seen buying for nutrient with fraudulently obtained EBT benefits, authorities said. Fernandez and 3 different defendants are charged with utilizing much than 100 stolen identities to get nutrient stamps and pandemic unemployment benefits.   (Justice Department)

All 4 purchased the stolen identities of 24 "households" successful SNAP applications. The applicants, submitted successful the names of implicit 100 people, were listed arsenic surviving successful 2 single-family apartments successful Providence, Rhode Island.

Raul Fernandez Vicioso, a Dominican citizen, and Joel Vicioso Fernandez allegedly utilized their ain idiosyncratic accusation to make fraudulent SNAP payment accounts that were recovered commingled among the unfortunate identities successful the applications. 

The suspects besides provided images of counterfeit passports and passport cards, with metadata that indicated the images were taken wrong oregon wrong the contiguous vicinity of El Primo Restaurant — a edifice operated by Raul Fernandez Vicioso successful Leominster, Massachusetts, national prosecutors said. 

The SNAP benefits were utilized to marque bulk purchases of nutrient items, including multiple-pound packages of chicken, beef and pork, astatine assorted section wholesalers and nutrient markets to banal El Primo Restaurant, authorities said. 

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Four people, including 2 Venezuelan citizens, utilized 115 stolen identities successful a $1 cardinal nutrient stamps and pandemic unemployment fraud scheme, the Justice Department said Tuesday.  (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

"With their supplies obtained for escaped done fraudulent SNAP benefits, they prepared and past sold paper items astatine El Primo Restaurant astatine a implicit profit, aboriginal wiring the fraud proceeds, among different places, to individuals surviving successful Venezuela and the Dominican Republic," the Justice Department said. 

In addition, betwixt April 2020 and December 2021, the 4 defendants allegedly collected $700,000 by submitting fraudulent Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) applications successful Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Nevada.

At slightest 29 antithetic identities were allegedly utilized successful PUA applications, each of which listed the code for El Primo Restaurant arsenic the residential address. Around $276,021 successful fraudulent PUA benefits were deposited into slope accounts held successful the names of the El Primo Restaurant, Raul Fernandez Vicioso, Joel Vicioso Fernandez and different co-conspirators, prosecutors said. 

All 4 defendants are charged with conspiracy to use, transfer, get and person SNAP benefits. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

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During searches of Raul Fernandez Vicioso’s location and the restaurant, investigators recovered fraudulently obtained Massachusetts and Rhode Island EBT cards, fraudulent documents bearing a Providence code progressive successful the alleged scheme, printed ledgers and handwritten lists of much than 100 identities and SNAP-related mailings were recovered.

All 4 defendants are charged with conspiracy to use, transfer, get and person SNAP benefits. Raul Fernandez Vicioso, 37, is charged with conspiracy to perpetrate SNAP fraud, conspiracy to perpetrate ligament fraud, SNAP payment fraud, aiding and abetting and wealth laundering. 

The remaining 3 are charged with conspiracy to use, transfer, get and person SNAP benefits.