BOSTON — A Dominican national living in Worcester has been charged federally with using the stolen identity of a deceased U.S. citizen to fraudulently collect more than $12,600 in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits over nearly four years.
The defendant, referred to in court documents as “John Doe,” is accused of living under the identity of a Puerto Rican-born U.S. citizen who died in 2006. According to prosecutors, the man, whose true identity is alleged to be that of a 57-year-old citizen of the Dominican Republic who is unlawfully present in the United States, has been using the deceased man’s name and Social Security number since at least 2001.
The charges were announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office as part of a broader crackdown on benefit fraud involving federal and state assistance programs…