Illegal Alien Pleads Guilty to Benefit Fraud and Identity Theft Offenses

BOSTON - A Dominican man unlawfully residing in Salem, N.H., pleaded guilty yesterday to stealing the identity of an American citizen from Puerto Rico to obtain a U.S. Passport as well as federally funded benefits from Massachusetts.

Juan Felipe Chalas, 58, pleaded guilty to making a false statement in a passport application and unlawfully obtaining Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Benefits. U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin scheduled sentencing for Sept. 8, 2026. The defendant was one of nine charged earlier this year as part of a benefit fraud crackdown. He remains in federal custody pending sentencing.

Pursuant to a plea agreement which calls for Chalas to serve one year of incarceration and two years of supervised release, Chalas also agreed to pay restitution of $12,584 to the Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance for fraudulently obtaining SNAP benefits, $25,491 to the Social Security Administration for fraudulently obtaining disability benefits and $266,857 for fraudulently obtaining MassHealth benefits.

As far back as 1996, Chalas, a Dominican national who has never been admitted or inspected by immigration authorities, assumed the identity of an American citizen from Puerto Rico. Using the victim's identity, Chalas obtained United States passports in 1998, 2010 and 2023 as well as various Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles identifications using the name and other information of an American citizen from Puerto Rico.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Jeff Grimming, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; Amy Connelly, Special Agent in Charge of the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Boston Field Division; Charmeka Parker, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Agriculture - Office of Inspector General, Northeast Region; Nathan Hebert, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Department of State's Diplomatic Security Service, Boston Field Office; and Roberto Coviello, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Grady, Deputy Chief of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.