Federal prosecutors say a Foxborough man once convicted of posing as an immigration officer is back in court on nearly the same charge. Francisco Soares, 56, was arrested on April 30 after authorities alleged he again pretended to be a government immigration official and took thousands of dollars from migrants seeking help with their status. He appeared in federal court in Boston on May 1 and was released on conditions while the case moves forward.
The new complaint accuses Soares of targeting Brazilian nationals, promising help with citizenship in exchange for payment. Prosecutors say he collected substantial sums even though he has never worked for the federal government.
What prosecutors say
According to Boston 25 News, the criminal complaint, filed on April 29, alleges Soares told victims he worked for "U.S. Immigration" and could speed up or even secure their citizenship for a price. Prosecutors say several people handed over thousands of dollars based on those promises.
Authorities say that despite those claims, Soares has never held a federal law enforcement or immigration job.
Earlier indictment described a similar playbook
A U.S. Attorney’s Office press release from 2014 described earlier federal charges accusing Soares of posing as an ICE special agent. In that prior case, prosecutors said he used a system of staged payments, including supposed fingerprinting fees, in what was described as a scheme to “fix” immigration records. That notice also credited Homeland Security Investigations and several local police departments with helping to build the case, offering an example of how impersonation scams aimed at people desperate for immigration help can operate.
Legal consequences
Soares was convicted in 2015 on an impersonation charge and received three years of probation, 12 months of home confinement, and financial penalties that included fines and restitution, according to Boston 25 News. Now, for the current federal charge of impersonating a federal officer or employee, prosecutors say he faces a maximum of three years in prison, one year of supervised release, and a fine that could reach $250,000.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Boston is handling the prosecution, and the case will move through the usual federal pretrial process.
What to watch
Authorities say the investigation is still active and are asking anyone with information about the alleged scheme to contact federal investigators. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts has previously urged victims of impersonation scams to come forward, report suspected fraud to local law enforcement or Homeland Security Investigations, and independently verify the identity of anyone claiming to be a federal officer.
The case highlights persistent scams that target immigrant communities and shows that prosecutors are prepared to revisit similar conduct, even when it involves someone with a prior federal conviction for essentially the same alleged behavior.
