Overview
- Federal prosecutors and Homeland Security Investigations arrested and charged 15 people on June 18 for schemes that allegedly stole about $1.4 million from SNAP, MassHealth, Social Security disability, housing, and unemployment programs.
- Officials said 11 of the 15 defendants are suspected of being in the United States unlawfully and that several accused used stolen or falsified identities to enroll in benefit programs that belonged to other people.
- Prosecutors identified the largest alleged single loss as more than $546,000 linked to Heriberto Rodriguez and charged Mitul Patel with conspiracy to commit visa fraud for staging fake robberies to seek U visas.
- Investigators have filed complaints against multiple unnamed “John Doe” defendants whose true identities remain under investigation and have asked foreign partners for help in identity verification.
- The arrests are part of a newly expanded, data‑driven national enforcement push by the Justice Department that federal officials say will continue on a rolling basis and has raised disputes with state officials over access to program records and verification practices.