A man from Stoughton has been handed a probation sentence after pleading guilty to social security and passport fraud charges in federal court, as per the U.S. Justice Department. Wilfrido Baez Villar, 49, was sentenced to a year and a half of probation, with the first six months to be spent under house confinement, according to an announcement on the Department of Justice's website.
Baez Villar, caught using the identity of another to apply for a driver's license and a U.S. passport, entered his guilty plea back on May 8th. The case, presided over by U.S. Senior District Court Judge William G. Young revealed Baez Villar first attempted to gain entry into the United States back in December 1994 on the strength of an altered Dominican Republic passport, not his own. When detected upon his arrival in New York City, he subsequently returned on his own volition to his home country.
The fraud didn't end there. After reentering the U.S. unlawfully, Baez Villar, in 1996, used another person's identity to acquire a Massachusetts driver's license. He continued his deceptive streak by obtaining a state ID card in 1998 under a third victim's identity and then applying for a Massachusetts driver's license a month later with a fourth victim's name, an identity he would exploit through subsequent years to secure additional duplicate and renewed licenses.
In a turn of false documents, Baez Villar, again wearing the stolen identity of the fourth individual, managed to obtain a replacement Real ID/Massachusetts driver's license in January 2019. He hit a fraudulent home run a year later by applying for a United States passport in December using the same purloined personal details, according to the Department of Justice.
Various agencies, including the Social Security Administration, the Department of Health & Human Services, and Homeland Security Investigations, were involved in uncovering the web of deceit spun by Baez Villar. Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy and his team publicly recognized the collaborative efforts that led to this conviction. The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Nagelberg and Assistant U.S. Attorney Mackenzie A. Queenin of the Criminal Division.
