BOSTON – A Dominican man unlawfully residing in Massachusetts has pleaded guilty to money laundering, false use of a Social Security number and aggravated identity theft.
According to the Massachusetts Department of Justice, 45-year-old Juan Carlos Lugo Gonzalez, a/k/a “Josue Cabrera,” pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering, one count of false use of a Social Security number and one count of aggravated identity theft. U.S. District Court Chief Judge Denise J. Casper scheduled sentencing for March 26, 2026. Lugo Gonzalez was indicted by a federal grand jury in February 2025. The defendant is subject to deportation proceedings upon completion of any sentence imposed.
Beginning at least as early as 2020, an investigation began into Lugo Gonzalez and others for laundering proceeds of drug trafficking. In August 2023, following a series of communications with undercover law enforcement, Lugo Gonzalez arranged and carried out the delivery of approximately $109,715 in drug proceeds to an undercover agent in Lawrence. During the exchange, Lugo Gonzalez confirmed his identity using a prearranged token and discussed his involvement in trafficking multiple drugs – claiming control over drug activity in the Lawrence area…