Stolen identities, pandemic unemployment, food funds, and Venezuelan nationals came together in a fraud scheme that bilked over $1 million in multiple states.
“Three individuals have been arrested, and another individual has been charged, with an alleged 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,” according to a Justice Department press release.
“The defendants are also alleged to have fraudulently obtained over $700,000 in Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) benefits from Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Washington, and Nevada,” the release added.
(Video Credit: CBS Boston)
Venezuelan nationals Roman Vequiz Fernandez, 32, and Coralba Albarracin Siniva, 24, both living in Leominster, MA, and Joel Vicioso Fernandez, 42, and Raul Fernandez Vicioso, 37, both of Fitchburg, MA, have been charged with conspiracy to use, transfer, acquire, and possess SNAP benefits.
The men reportedly “purchased and used the stolen personal information of over 100 real people from multiple states to fraudulently obtain SNAP benefits,” according to the DOJ.
“The stolen identities were used to create 24 ‘households’ in SNAP applications. All of these applications, submitted in the names of over 100 people, were listed as living in two single-family apartments in Providence, RI,” the press release continued.
Raul Fernandez Vicioso and Joel Vicioso Fernandez allegedly used their own personal information “to create fraudulent SNAP benefit accounts that were found commingled among the victim identities in the application,” using counterfeit passports and passport cards that had images taken inside or in the immediate vicinity of El Primo Restaurant, which was owned by Raul.
“The defendants and their co-conspirators allegedly used the fraudulent SNAP benefits cards to purchase large quantities of expensive bulk food items (such as multiple-pound packages of chicken, beef, and pork) at various local wholesalers and food markets to stock El Primo Restaurant at no expense,” federal prosecutors said. “With their supplies obtained for free through fraudulent SNAP benefits, they prepared and then sold menu items at El Primo Restaurant at a complete profit, later wiring the fraud proceeds, among other places, to individuals living in Venezuela and the Dominican Republic.”
🚨 Four charged w/ alleged fraud scheme that used 115 stolen identities to obtain millions in SNAP and PUA benefits across multiple states. Allegedly used SNAP cards to stock restaurant; wired proceeds to Venezuela and the Dominican Republic.
READ: https://t.co/BpFde3uWsF pic.twitter.com/ZTvVCqImTT
— U.S. Attorney Massachusetts (@DMAnews1) February 3, 2026
Fraudulent applications and documents allegedly used 29 different identities for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) in Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Nevada, netting over $700,000 for the defendants between April 2020 and December 2021.
“During searches of Raul Fernandez Vicioso’s residence and the El Primo Restaurant, fraudulently obtained Massachusetts and Rhode Island EBT cards, fraudulent documents bearing a Providence address involved in the alleged scheme, printed ledgers and handwritten lists of more than 100 identities and SNAP-related mailings were recovered,” the press release noted.
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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida. Powers also contributes to BizPac Review.
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