A Brazilian national residing in Woburn, Mass., has pled guilty to charges of unlawful reentry into the United States after deportation and to selling fraudulent Social Security cards and Green Cards. Liene Tavares DeBarros, Jr., 40, entered his plea on May 8, in federal court in Boston, according to an announcement from the Department of Justice.
Tavares DeBarros was previously deported in July 2010 but reentered the United States at an unknown date thereafter. He was brought to the attention of law enforcement in 2024, after allegations surfaced that he was involved in selling counterfeit identity documents. According to a Department of Justice report, in an undercover operation, Tavares DeBarros sold counterfeit documents to undercover officers on two separate occasions in exchange for a cumulative $750.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley, along with officials from Homeland Security Investigations, the Social Security Administration's Office of Inspector General, and other federal agencies contributed to the report detailing the charges. Sentencing is set for June 26, with the unlawful transfer and production of documents charges carrying a sentence of up to 15 years in prison, and the unlawful reentry charge potentially adding a maximum of two years. Upon completion of any sentence imposed, Tavares DeBarros is subject to deportation.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John J. Reynolds III of the Criminal Division, as part of an investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigation's Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force. This task force is a collective of various state, local, and federal agencies specializing in the detection and disruption of fraud schemes. The task force's emphasis is on curbing the illegal trade in counterfeit documents, identities, and various types of benefit frauds—a battle that often lies hidden in the shadows of our immigration system.
