BOSTON - A Dominican national, formerly residing in Lawrence, but presently serving a state prison term for fentanyl trafficking, pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to charges including identity theft.
Rafael Aguasviva Peralta, 32, pleaded guilty to one count of misuse of a Social Security number and one count of aggravated identity theft. U.S. District Court Judge Rya Zobel scheduled sentencing for May 2, 2019.
On Nov. 19, 2013, Aguasviva falsely represented that a Social Security number was his in an application for a learner’s permit, using the identity of a Puerto Rican man, at the Lawrence branch of the Registry of Motor Vehicles.
The charging statute for misuse of a Social Security number provides for a sentence of no greater than five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. The charging statute for aggravated identity theft provides for a mandatory sentence of two years in prison, consecutive to any other sentence imposed, up to one year of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Peter C. Fitzhugh, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; and Scott Antolik, Special Agent in Charge of the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Boston Field Division, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sandra S. Bower of Lelling’s Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
