BOSTON – A Fitchburg, Mass. man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Worcester to his role in a fraud scheme that used the stolen identities of more than 100 individuals to obtain $440,000 in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits from Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The defendant and his alleged co-conspirators also fraudulently obtained over $700,000 in Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) benefits from Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio Washington and Nevada.
According to a release from the Massachusetts Department of Justice, 37-year-old Raul Fernandez Vicioso pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Commit SNAP Fraud, Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, SNAP benefit Fraud, Aiding and Abetting and Money Laundering. U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman scheduled sentencing for July 9, 2026.
The defendant was charged on Feb. 3, 2026. Three alleged co-conspirators – Joel Vicioso Fernandez, 42, of Fitchburg, Mass.; Roman Vequiz Fernandez, 32, a Venezuelan national living in Leominster, Mass.; and Coralba Albarracin Siniva, 24, a Venezuelan national living in Leominster, Mass., were charged by criminal complaint…