SCRANTON – In a gritty revelation from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, Andres Santos, a 37-year-old man from Hazelton, has been hit with federal charges for theft of government property and aggravated identity theft. The allegations stem from a scheme to unlawfully obtain welfare benefits.
The indictment, handed down by a federal grand jury on May 21, 2019, accuses Santos of misusing another person’s social security account number and falsely claiming U.S. citizenship to amass over $1000 in Medicaid Medical Assistance and SNAP benefits between 2016 and 2019.
United States Attorney David J. Freed detailed the charges against Santos, asserting that the defendant fraudulently obtained these funds in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. The investigation into Santos’s activities was conducted by both the United States Department of Homeland Security Investigations Division and the Pennsylvania Office of the State Inspector General.
Assistant United States Attorney Jeffery St John is tasked with prosecution of this case, which, as with all criminal cases, treats Santos as innocent until proven guilty in court.
Should Santos be found guilty, he could face a maximum sentence of 12 years imprisonment under federal law, followed by supervised release and a substantial fine. The actual sentence will depend on the Judge’s consideration of various factors including the nature of the offense, the defendant’s history, and public safety concerns.
This case serves as a stark reminder of the lengths some individuals will go to in order to defraud government programs designed to aid those in need, underscoring the importance of robust investigation and enforcement efforts by federal agencies.
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Key Facts
- State: Pennsylvania
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Public Corruption|White Collar Crime|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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