Wilkin Pena Soto, a 30-year-old Dominican national, stood before a federal judge in Boston and admitted to stealing the identity of a U.S. citizen from Puerto Rico, copping to charges of passport fraud and aggravated identity theft. His guilty plea marks the end of a brazen scheme that relied on forged documents and a stolen life to gain access to American privileges he wasn’t entitled to.
Pena Soto applied for a U.S. passport in August 2017 at the Attleboro Post Office, claiming to be a native-born citizen. On the application, he used the real name, Social Security number, and date of birth of a Puerto Rican man—none of which belonged to him. He backed the lie with a fake birth certificate and a Massachusetts driver’s license, both bearing the victim’s identity. The documents were enough to fool the system—until investigators caught on.
The crime wasn’t just fraud—it was aggravated identity theft, a federal offense carrying a mandatory two-year prison sentence. That charge, stacked with passport fraud, exposes Pena Soto to up to 10 additional years behind bars, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000 on each count. U.S. District Court Judge Douglas P. Woodlock will hand down the sentence on June 4, 2018, weighing the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the severity of the deception.
Federal prosecutors say Pena Soto’s actions weren’t just paperwork violations—they were a calculated theft of another man’s life. By assuming a false identity, he crossed the line from immigration violation to full-blown identity fraud, a growing concern for federal law enforcement. The U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service and Homeland Security Investigations in Boston spearheaded the probe, underscoring the national security stakes of document fraud.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling announced the guilty plea alongside William B. Gannon, Special Agent in Charge of the Diplomatic Security Service, and Michael Shea, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Wichers, part of Lelling’s Major Crimes Unit, known for cracking down on cross-border fraud and document trafficking.
Pena Soto’s case shines a light on the underground trade in stolen identities and fake credentials, often used by foreign nationals to slip through immigration and financial systems. While his fate awaits sentencing, the victim—a U.S. citizen from Puerto Rico—was never charged, never consented, and only discovered the theft when authorities came knocking. In the world of federal fraud, that kind of betrayal is common. Justice, for now, is pending.
Related Federal Cases
- Dominican National Sentenced for 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
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
🔒 Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
Browse More
