A 40-year-old man from Chelsea, Boston was apprehended by authorities, facing charges related to the sale of false Social Security cards and Green Cards. According to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts, Wilberto Sandoval Mazariego was hit with a charge for unlawful transfer of a document or authentication feature. Right after his arrest Thursday, he underwent an initial court appearance in Boston and has a hearing set for Oct. 5.
Documents related the charge suggest that during an inquiry linked to Tomas Xirum - previously pulled up for the same offense, officers identified Sandoval Mazariego to likely be the mastermind creating these bogus documents. Post Xirum's arrest in the August of 2022, some incriminating evidence came to light - a text message conversation between Xirum and Sandoval Mazariego, teeming with about 568 attachments. These messages hint at a well-planned operation. Xirum would send pictures of unknown individuals, along with their name, date and country of birth, Sandoval would then Mazariego replies with pictures of Social Security cards and/or Green Cards carrying the person’s photo and details as given by Xirum.
The long arm of the law got a stronger grip on the situation on August 17, 2023, when Sandoval Mazariego was caught red-handed, selling fake Green and Social Security card to an undercover cop. To further compound their troubles, on August 21, 2023, Xirum pleaded guilty to three counts of both unlawful transfer of document or authentication feature and unlawful production of document or authentication feature. He is currently waiting the pronouncement of his sentence scheduled for January 11, 2024.
These offenses can lead to hefty consequences, including a prison sentence of up to 15 years, three years under supervised release and a hefty $250,000 fine. A federal district court judge will hand down these sentences, guided by the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and applicable statutes governing sentencing determination in criminal cases.
The significant announcement of this unlawful activity was made by Joshua S. Levy, the Acting United States Attorney, and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England. The responsibility of prosecuting the case rests with Assistant U.S. Attorney David G. Tobin, who's a part of the Major Crimes Unit.
The probe was driven by the Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force (DBFTF), a uniquely equipped investigative unit featuring personnel from various federal, state, and local agencies, whose expertise lies in detecting and disrupting individuals and organizations indulged in identity, document, and benefit fraud schemes. Source.
The information provided in the charging documents should be taken as allegations at this stage. Until their guilt beyond a reasonable doubt proven in a court of law, the accused is presumed to be innocent. The case continues to unfold.
