Massachusetts Man Indicted and Arrested for Fraudulently Using Government Seals

Ocala, FL - Mario Cesar Dos Santos, Jr. (50, Massachusetts) has been charged by indictment and arrested for the fraudulent use of government seals. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in federal prison. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court documents, Dos Santos is the president of an organization called Chaplain Emergency Management Agency Inc. (CEMA), which he falsely claimed was a government agency endorsed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). In doing so, Dos Santos fraudulently used the seals of FEMA, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Neither Dos Santos nor CEMA have authorization to use the seals of DHS, FEMA, or FBI, nor are they otherwise affiliated with DHS, FEMA, FBI, or any other department or agency of the federal government.

As outlined in the court documents, Dos Santos has organized multiple CEMA chaplaincy training courses throughout the country. At these trainings, Dos Santos provided participants with identification cards, law enforcement badges, and course completion certificates containing the seals of various departments and agencies of the United States. As shown in the redacted images below, the identification cards contain one of CEMA's logos, which consists of the DHS seal, modified to state, "U.S. Department of Homeland Chaplain." The back of the identification cards contain the DHS/FEMA seal with no alterations. The certificates contain the FBI seal and a slightly different version of the CEMA logo-an older version of the FEMA seal, modified to state, "U.S. Department of Homeland Chaplain."

Dos Santos also offered various CEMA merchandise for sale, including polo shirts, bumper stickers, jackets, badges, and badge holders-all bearing either the DHS or FEMA seal. During an undercover operation conducted at a training held on September 27, 2025, a confidential informant purchased merchandise items, pictured below:

CEMA's website and social media accounts all display the CEMA logo (an altered version of the DHS seal) and falsely identify CEMA as a government organization or federal agency.

Dos Santos is a Brazilian national who came to the United States in 2016. He has overstayed his visa and is undergoing deportation proceedings. In connection with his immigration case, Dos Santos submitted multiple fraudulent documents, including a "Certificate of Ordination" and a diploma from the "University of Berkley" in Michigan, which does not exist.

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

This case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with material support from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service's Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate, and the Federal Air Marshal Service. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Belkis H. Callaos.