BOSTON – In a shocking case of identity theft, a Dominican national has been sentenced to a lengthy prison term for stealing the identity of a U.S. citizen from Puerto Rico.
Wilkin Pena Soto, 31, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Douglas P. Woodlock to two years and one day in prison and three years of supervised release. Pena Soto will also be subject to deportation proceedings.
In March 2018, Pena Soto pleaded guilty to one count of passport fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.
According to court documents, in August 2017, Pena Soto applied for a passport at an Attleboro Post Office purporting to be a U.S. citizen. On the application, he represented that the name, Social Security number, and date of birth of a Puerto Rican man were his. He supported the application with a birth certificate and Massachusetts driver’s license in the U.S. citizen’s name.
Pena Soto’s brazen identity theft scheme was uncovered by a team of investigators from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Diplomatic Security Service, and Homeland Security Investigations.
“This case highlights the importance of protecting the identities of U.S. citizens from those who seek to exploit them for personal gain,” said Andrew E. Lelling, U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Wichers prosecuted the case, which was announced by Lelling, William B. Gannon, Special Agent in Charge of the Diplomatic Security Service, and Peter C. Fitzhugh, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston.
Related Federal Cases
- Dominican National Wilkin Pena Soto Pleads Guilty to Identity Theft · Massachusetts
- Dominican National Charged with Identity Theft and False Statements · Massachusetts
- Methuen Man Gets 27 Months for Identity Theft Scheme · Massachusetts
- Lydia Torres Sentenced in $393K Identity Theft Tax Fraud · Massachusetts
- Dominican National Jhonny Pimentel Aybar Sentenced in Boston Fraud · Massachusetts
Key Facts
- State: Massachusetts
- Category: Cybercrime|Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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