Angel L. Morales Arrested in $500K ID Theft Ring

Angel L. Morales, 51, of Bronx, New York, is the ninth person arrested in a sprawling, multi-state identity theft and bank fraud conspiracy that ripped off hundreds of thousands of dollars from financial institutions and retailers across the Northeast. Morales was taken into federal custody after returning to the U.S. from the Dominican Republic on March 30, 2019, and was arraigned in U.S. District Court in Providence. Magistrate Judge Patricia A. Sullivan ordered him detained pending trial, citing flight risk and the seriousness of the charges.

Morales is named in a 32-count superseding indictment returned on February 6, 2019, charging him with conspiracy to commit bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, and three counts of bank fraud. He allegedly used stolen Social Security numbers and personal identifying information to open fraudulent lines of credit, secure auto loans, and make high-dollar retail purchases. The scheme spanned Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania, with losses stretching into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The arrest follows a coordinated investigation by the U.S. Secret Service, with support from the Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and multiple local police departments, including East Providence, Warwick, and Pawtucket in Rhode Island; Seekonk and Mansfield in Massachusetts; and the Rhode Island State Police. Authorities say the defendants were largely connected through personal relationships and operated in tightly knit fraud cells.

Morales fled to the Dominican Republic in September 2018—days after federal agents raided the New Jersey apartment of one of his alleged co-conspirators. His return to the U.S. via a flight to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, triggered his immediate arrest. He is the fifth defendant named in the superseding indictment to be apprehended. An arrest warrant remains outstanding for Israel Arana Ruiz Velasco, 45, whose current whereabouts are unknown.

Others charged in the superseding indictment include Octavio Andres Difo-Castro, 28, of Brooklyn, N.Y., detained since August 9, 2018; Patricia A. Peralta, 28, of Paterson, N.J., released on unsecured bond; Yenesia Pujols, 47, of Providence, R.I.; and Yafira Rodriguez, 26, of New Britain, Conn.—all awaiting trial. The investigation has already yielded convictions: Reynaldo Martinez, 25, of Providence, was sentenced to 48 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $38,126.62 in restitution after pleading guilty to multiple fraud and identity theft counts.

Jason McDonald, 38, of Attleboro, MA, pleaded guilty on March 29, 2018, to conspiracy, attempted bank fraud, fraudulent use of a Social Security number, and aggravated identity theft. He was sentenced on July 24, 2018, to 39 months in federal prison by U.S. District Court Judge John J. McConnell, Jr. As the probe continues, federal prosecutors vow to pursue every link in the chain—no matter how far they run.