BOSTON – A Dominican national unlawfully residing in Lowell has been indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly using a stolen identity to fraudulently obtain pandemic relief funds and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, previously known as food stamps.
According to the Massachusetts Department of Justice, 40-year-old Arvaro Montero Diaz was indicted on two counts of wire fraud, two counts of aggravated identity theft, one count of theft of government money and one count of SNAP fraud. Montero Diaz was previously arrested and charged by criminal complaint on March 9, 2026. He was subsequently released on pretrial conditions following a detention hearing on March 12, 2026. Montero Diaz will appear in federal court in Boston at a later date.
According to the indictment, Montero Diaz – a citizen of the Dominican Republic who has been unlawfully residing in the United States since approximately 2007 – used the identity of a U.S. citizen to apply for and receive approximately $30,000 in unemployment benefits made available under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act. It is further alleged that Montero Diaz also used this identity to apply for and receive approximately $14,000 in SNAP benefits…