Methuen Man Gets 27 Months for Identity Theft Scheme

BOSTON – Delcin Belarminio Soto Baez, a Dominican national residing in Methuen, Massachusetts, is headed to federal prison after being sentenced Monday for a calculated scheme to assume the identities of U.S. citizens. U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor, IV, handed down a 27-month prison sentence, followed by one year of supervised release.

Baez, also known as Nelso Santos Ramos, pleaded guilty in July 2014 to charges of passport fraud and false representation to the Social Security Administration. The investigation revealed a pattern of deception stretching back over nearly a decade. In April 2004, Baez brazenly applied for a U.S. passport using the identity of José Torres, falsely claiming Torres was born in Puerto Rico – and thus a U.S. citizen.

The fraud didn’t stop there. Almost eight years later, in January 2012, Baez again sought to exploit the system, applying for a Social Security number replacement card under the name of Hermer Maldonado, another purported U.S. citizen born in Puerto Rico. He supported these applications with fabricated government-issued birth certificates and photo identification, meticulously constructing a false persona.

Authorities discovered Baez wasn’t just building a new life; he was actively concealing his true identity from law enforcement. He repeatedly presented these stolen identities – along with other aliases – during arrests on unrelated state narcotics charges. Baez, who has no legal status in the United States, clearly saw identity fraud as a means to evade detection and continue operating in the shadows.

The case was a collaborative effort, spearheaded by United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz, with crucial support from David W. Hall, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security, Boston Field Office, and Scott Antolik, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Social Security Administration’s Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Boston Field Division. The prosecution fell to Assistant U.S. Attorney Carlos A. López of Ortiz’s Drug Task Force Unit.

This sentencing sends a clear message: exploiting the identities of U.S. citizens for personal gain will not be tolerated. Baez’s elaborate scheme ultimately crumbled, landing him behind bars and serving as a warning to others considering similar criminal activity. His citizenship in the Dominican Republic and lack of legal standing in the U.S. will likely factor into any potential deportation proceedings following his release from prison.