SNAP Fraud

⏱ 2 min read

Raul Fernandez Vicioso, a 37-year-old Fitchburg, Massachusetts man, pleaded guilty to a massive fraud scheme that used stolen identities to obtain over $1.1 million in government benefits. The scheme, which involved Vicioso and his alleged co-conspirators, used the stolen identities of over 100 individuals to obtain $440,000 in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits from Massachusetts and Rhode Island, as well as over $700,000 in Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) benefits from multiple states, including Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Washington, and Nevada.

The scheme involved purchasing and using stolen personal information from multiple states to create 24 fake "households" in SNAP applications, all of which were listed as living in two single-family apartments in Providence, Rhode Island. The stolen identities were used to submit fraudulent SNAP applications, with Vicioso using his own personal information to create fake SNAP benefit accounts that were commingled with the victim identities in the applications.

Vicioso pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Commit SNAP Fraud, Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, SNAP benefit Fraud, Aiding and Abetting, and Money Laundering. He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 9, 2026. Three alleged co-conspirators, Joel Vicioso Fernandez, Roman Vequiz Fernandez, and Coralba Albarracin Siniva, were also charged in connection with the scheme.

The investigation and prosecution of this case demonstrate the ongoing efforts of law enforcement to combat fraud and protect government benefits from those who would seek to exploit them. The use of stolen identities to obtain government benefits is a serious crime that can have significant consequences for the victims and the government.