Bartolo Ramirez, 48, a Dominican national living in Springfield, Massachusetts, is behind bars on federal charges after allegedly stealing over $100,000 in Social Security benefits under a dead man’s name. Authorities say Ramirez spent nearly a decade living under a false identity, cashing disability checks meant for an American citizen while dodging his own deportation record.
Federal prosecutors unsealed a criminal complaint today charging Ramirez with misrepresenting a Social Security number and theft of public money. According to court documents, Ramirez was born in the Dominican Republic, snuck into the U.S. as a stowaway in 1990, and was caught. He voluntarily left in 1993—but by 2007, he was back, settling in Springfield and immediately setting up a new life under someone else’s skin.
Using the stolen identity, Ramirez obtained a Social Security card and a Massachusetts state ID. In 2008, he filed for Social Security disability benefits under the alias and began collecting payments—totaling more than $100,000 over the years. He even used the same fake name when arrested in 2012 on unrelated charges, further embedding the false identity into law enforcement records.
The scheme unraveled when investigators from the Social Security Administration’s Office of Inspector General began tracing fraudulent claims tied to deceased or otherwise ineligible recipients. Ramirez’s use of a legitimate American’s Social Security number raised red flags, leading to a federal probe that exposed his dual life and decade-long fraud.
If convicted, Ramirez faces up to five years in prison on the Social Security misrepresentation charge and up to 10 years for theft of public money—each carrying fines of $250,000 or double the gross gain, whichever is higher. He’s also subject to three years of supervised release. His detention hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2017.
The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Landry of Acting U.S. Attorney William D. Weinreb’s Major Crimes Unit. Agencies involved include Homeland Security Investigations, the Social Security Administration OIG, HHS OIG, USDA OIG, and the Massachusetts State Auditor’s Office. As of now, Ramirez remains presumed innocent until proven guilty in a federal court.
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Key Facts
- State: Massachusetts
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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