A Brazilian national residing in Woburn, Massachusetts, has been apprehended for allegedly selling counterfeit Social Security and Legal Permanent Resident cards. Liene Tavares DeBarros, Jr., 39, faces charges of unlawful transfer of a document or authentication feature. He was arrested and is set to make an initial court appearance in Worcester.
According to the charges, Tavares DeBarros sold a Social Security Number Card and a Green Card to an undercover officer for $250 in October 2024. In December 2024, he allegedly repeated the transaction with two more sets of documents for $500.
The charge carries a potential sentence of up to 15 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and fines up to $250,000. Upon completing any imposed sentence, deportation proceedings may follow. Sentences are determined by federal judges according to U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and applicable statutes.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley announced the arrest alongside several officials: Michael J. Krol from Homeland Security Investigations in New England; Amy Connelly from the Social Security Administration's Office of Inspector General; Jonathan Mellone from the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Inspector General; and Patricia H. Hyde from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Boston office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney John J. Reynolds III will prosecute the case, which stems from an investigation by Homeland Security Investigation’s Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force (DBFTF). This task force consists of state, local, and federal agencies focusing on document fraud schemes.
It is important to note that these details are allegations at this stage, with Tavares DeBarros presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
