A 41-year-old Chelsea man, Wilberto Sandoval Mazariego, has been handed down a sentence for his role in selling phony Social Security and Legal Permanent Resident cards. Mazariego, who copped a plea to one count of unlawful transfer of a document or authentication feature in July, is looking at one month behind bars and six months of house arrest as decided by U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office press release.
Previously indicted by a federal grand jury after his October 2023 arrest, Mazariego's connection to fraudulent document trader Tomas Xirum led to a broader crackdown. Xirum was apprehended in August 2022, and investigators uncovered a text message thread containing over 500 attachments, where Xirum shared personal details, and Mazariego responded with images of counterfeit IDs. Mazariego’s arrest followed his delivery of fake documents to an undercover agent. A subsequent search of his home revealed a cache of counterfeiting equipment, poorly made IDs, and a large sum of cash.
On the investigative front, Homeland Security Investigations' New England branch, under the eye of Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Krol, spearheaded the operation, unveiling a nest of document and benefit fraud—as confirmed by United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy. Their Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force, a unit composed of various law enforcement disciplines, is dedicated to unearthing the webs spun by identity and document fraudsters.
The case was presented to the court by Assistant U.S. Attorney David G. Tobin of the Major Crimes Unit. Meanwhile, Xirum had already faced justice in January 2024, pleading guilty to unlawful production of documents and transfer charges. He is currently serving an 18-month sentence.
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