Four Charged in Multi-State SNAP and PUA Fraud Conspiracy

Summary

Press release of the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Massachusetts, dated February 3, 2026. Three individuals have been arrested and another individual charged in an alleged scheme that used the stolen identities of more than 100 individuals to obtain SNAP benefits from Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The defendants are also alleged to have fraudulently obtained over $700,000 in Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) benefits. According to the charging documents, between April 2020 and December 2021 the defendants and their co-conspirators submitted fraudulent applications for PUA in Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Nevada, and at least 29 different identities were allegedly used in PUA applications in six different states. The details in the charging document are allegations.

Summary drafted by a model from the document's text below and checked by script against that text before publication. It is a navigation aid, not a reading of what the document proves. Where AI is used

Full text

PRESS RELEASE


Four Charged in Multi-State SNAP and PUA
Fraud Conspiracy
Tuesday, February 3, 2026

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Massachusetts

Defendants allegedly used 115 stolen identities to apply for and receive over $1
million in SNAP and PUA benefits

BOSTON – Three individuals have been arrested, and another individual has been
charged, with an alleged fraud scheme that used the stolen identities of more than 100
individuals to obtain $440,000 in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
benefits from Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The defendants are also alleged to have
fraudulently obtained over $700,000 in Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA)
benefits from Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio Washington and Nevada.

The following defendants have been charged by criminal complaint with Conspiracy to
Use, Transfer, Acquire and Possess SNAP benefits and will appear in federal court in
Worcester at 12:30 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. this afternoon:

   1. Joel Vicioso Fernandez, 42, of Fitchburg, Mass.;
   2. Roman Vequiz Fernandez, 32, a Venezuelan national living in Leominster, Mass.;
      and
   3. Coralba Albarracin Siniva, 24, a Venezuelan national living in Leominster, Mass.

Raul Fernandez Vicioso, 37, of Fitchburg, Mass., has been charged with Conspiracy to
Commit SNAP Fraud, Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, SNAP benefit Fraud, Aiding and
Abetting and Money Laundering. He will appear in federal court in Worcester at a later
date.

According to the charging documents, the defendants and their co-conspirators
purchased and used the stolen personal information of over 100 real people from
multiple states to fraudulently obtain SNAP benefits. The stolen identities were used to
create 24 “households” in SNAP applications. All of these applications, submitted in the
names of over 100 people, were listed as living in two single-family apartments in
Providence, R.I.

A number of the stolen identities from Connecticut, Florida, Kentucky, New Jersey, New
York, Pennsylvania and Puerto Rico were used to fraudulently obtain SNAP benefits in
Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

It is further alleged that Raul Fernandez Vicioso and Joel Vicioso Fernandez used their
own personal information to create fraudulent SNAP benefit accounts that were found
commingled among the victim identities in the applications. In support of the
fraudulently submitted SNAP applications, the defendants and their co-conspirators
allegedly provided images of counterfeit passports and passport cards, with metadata
that indicated the images were taken inside or within the immediate vicinity of El Primo
Restaurant – a restaurant operated by Raul Fernandez Vicioso in Leominster, Mass.

The defendants and their co-conspirators allegedly used the fraudulent SNAP benefits
cards to purchase large quantities of expensive bulk food items (such as multiple-pound
packages of chicken, beef and pork) at various local wholesalers and food markets to
stock El Primo Restaurant at no expense. With their supplies obtained for free through
fraudulent SNAP benefits, they prepared and then sold menu items at El Primo
Restaurant at a complete profit, later wiring the fraud proceeds, among other places, to
individuals living in Venezuela and the Dominican Republic.

According to the charging documents, between April 2020 and December 2021, the
defendants and their co-conspirators further enriched themselves by over $700,000 by
submitting fraudulent applications and supporting documents for PUA in
Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Nevada. The fraudulent PUA benefits
were issued in the names of Raul Fernandez Vicioso, Joel Vicioso Fernandez and in the
names of suspected identity theft victims, including identities common to the related
the SNAP benefit fraud. At least 29 different identities were allegedly used in PUA
applications in six different states – all of which listed the address for El Primo
Restaurant as the residential address. Bank records obtained during the investigation
detail approximately $276,021 in fraudulent PUA benefits deposited into bank accounts
held in the names of the El Primo Restaurant, Raul Fernandez Vicioso, Joel Vicioso
Fernandez and other co-conspirators. Other fraudulent PUA benefits were allegedly
issued to prepaid cards in the identities of the various individuals which were applied for
using known addresses and telephone numbers of the subjects.

During searches of Raul Fernandez Vicioso’s residence and the El Primo Restaurant
fraudulently obtained Massachusetts and Rhode Island EBT cards, fraudulent documents
bearing a Providence address involved in the alleged scheme, printed ledgers and
handwritten lists of more than 100 identities and SNAP-related mailings were recovered.

Fraud, waste or abuse can be reported to the Council of the Inspectors General for
Integrity and Efficiency: https://www.oversight.gov/where-report-fraud-waste-abuse-or-
retaliation

The charge of Conspiracy to Commit SNAP Fraud provides for a sentence of up to five
years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of
Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison,
three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 The charge of illegal acquisition
or use of SNAP benefits provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years
of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of money laundering provides
for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of
$500,000 or twice the amount involved in the transaction, whichever is greater.
Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing
Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Charmeka Parker, Special Agent in Charge of the
U.S. Department of Agriculture - Office of Inspector General, Northeast Region; Anthony
P. D’Esposito, Inspector General, Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General;
Thomas Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal
Investigation, Boston Field Office; and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of
Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement today.
Valuable assistance was provided by the Social Security Administration - Office of
Inspector General; U.S. Department of Homeland Security - Office of Inspector General;
U.S. Postal Inspection Service; U.S. Department of State - Diplomatic Security Service;
Rhode Island Office of Internal Audit - Fraud Detection & Prevention Unit;
Massachusetts State Police; the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island;
and the Fitchburg and Leominster Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Danial
Bennett of the Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendants are
presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in
the court of law.

Updated February 3, 2026

Attachments
USA v. RAUL FERNANDEZ VICIOSO - Information [PDF, 235 KB]
USA v. VICIOSO FERNANDEZ, ET AL – Criminal Complaint [PDF, 2 MB]
Topics
CORONAVIRUS

FINANCIAL FRAUD

IDENTITY THEFT
Component
USAO - Massachusetts


File and source

File

2026-02-12-Four-Charged-in-Multi-State-SNAP-and-PUA-Fraud-Conspiracy-USAO-D-MA-02-03-2026.pdf

Size

130,369 bytes

SHA-256

be7167d1e83d52f27c341fc42dd1e30ecb3a95253e4dcba8881ac64246e34adc

Our copy

2026-02-12-Four-Charged-in-Multi-State-SNAP-and-PUA-Fraud-Conspiracy-USAO-D-MA-02-03-2026.pdf

Original

www.oig.dol.gov