BOSTON – A Dominican national previously residing in Taunton pleaded guilty today to false representation of a Social Security number and making a false statement relating to health care matters.
Reynold Pereyra Diaz, 39, pleaded guilty to one count of false representation of a Social Security number and one count of making a false statement relating to a federal health care program. U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs deferred acceptance of the plea until sentencing, which is scheduled for Nov.18, 2021. Pereyra Diaz was arrested and charged in December 2019.
Pereyra Diaz used the name and identifiers of a U.S. citizen for at least 18 years, including to obtain a Massachusetts driver’s license and to apply for MassHealth benefits. In addition, during a traffic stop in 2015, Pereyra Diaz provided police with a driver’s license in the victim’s name and was found in possession of 15 baggies containing a substance believe to be cocaine located in a hidden compartment of his vehicle. As a result, Pereyra Diaz was indicted under the victim’s name on drug trafficking charges, which were later dropped. Pereyra Diaz also applied for a $48,000 car loan under the victim’s identity in 2016.
A search of Pereyra Diaz’s residence in December 2018 recovered a marriage license under his true name as well as a driver’s license, birth certificate, Social Security card and bank cards under the victim’s stolen identity.
The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security’s Investigation’s Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force (DBFTF), a specialized field investigative group comprised of personnel from various local, state, and federal agencies with expertise in detecting, deterring, and disrupting organizations and individuals involved in various types of document, identity, and benefit fraud schemes.
The charges of false representation of a Social Security number and making a false statement relating to a federal health care program each provide for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell; Matthew B. Millhollin, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; and Phillip M. Coyne, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Office of Inspector General, made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations; U.S. Department of State, Diplomatic Security Service; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General; U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General; and the Lynn, Lawrence and Taunton Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin A. Saltzman of Mendell’s Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
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