BOSTON - A Dominican national pleaded guilty on Friday, March 15, 2019, in federal court in Boston to identity theft, aggravated identity theft, theft of public money, and illegally reentering the United States after being deported.
Isidro Viscaino-Soto, a/k/a Ysidro Vizcaino, 59, a Dominican national residing in Boston, pleaded guilty to one count of identity theft, one count of aggravated identity theft, one count of theft of public money, and one count of illegal reentry of a deported alien. U.S. District Court Judge Patti B. Saris scheduled sentencing for June 30, 2019. Viscaino-Soto was arrested and charged by complaint on April 17, 2018, and has been in custody since.
“Despite being previously deported following a conviction for drug dealing, this defendant returned to the United States, acquired the Social Security number of a U.S. citizen, and used it to fraudulently apply for MassHealth, which is funded by U.S. taxpayers," said United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling. “Cases like this are precisely why we need strong border security: the first time, Viscaino-Soto came to the United States and sold drugs here. The second time, he came to the United States, stole an identity, and then stole $9,000 worth of insurance benefits from U.S. citizens."
Law enforcement officers in Boston discovered Viscaino-Soto on April 12, 2018, and determined him to be illegally present in the United States. Viscaino-Soto was previously deported on July 31, 2000, after receiving a drug conviction. In addition, Viscaino-Soto used the Social Security number of a U.S. citizen from Puerto Rico in order to receive disability insurance, and in so doing, stole approximately $9,000 in federally-funded MassHealth benefits.
Aggravated identity theft carries a mandatory two-year sentence that must run consecutively to any other sentence imposed, one year of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000. The identity theft charge provides for a sentence of no greater than five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. The charge of theft of public funds provides for a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. The charge of illegal reentry provides for a sentence of no greater than two years in prison, one year of supervised release, a fine of $250,000. Viscaino-Soto will be subject to deportation upon completion of his sentence. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon 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; Michael Mikulka, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations; and Suzanne M. Bump, State Auditor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, made the announcement. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Burzycki of Lelling’s Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
