Leah B. Foley United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts | Department of Justice
A former Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Security Officer has admitted to fraudulently obtaining pandemic unemployment benefits while working full-time at Boston Logan International Airport.
Ismael Rosado Jr., 40, of Worcester, pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston to one count of wire fraud. U.S. Senior District Court Judge Patti B. Saris scheduled his sentencing for May 19, 2026. Rosado was initially charged in December 2025.
According to court documents, Rosado was employed full-time as a TSA Security Officer from November 2018 through October 2021. Between May 2020 and September 2021, he applied for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) and submitted weekly certifications falsely claiming that he was unemployed and had no income during that period. As a result of these misrepresentations, Rosado received $47,526 in unemployment benefits for which he was not eligible.
The wire fraud charge carries a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine up to $250,000 or twice the amount gained or lost—whichever is greater. Sentencing decisions are made by federal judges according to the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and relevant statutes.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Anthony D’Esposito, Inspector General of the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General; and Joseph V. Cuffari, Ph.D., Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General announced the plea today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Sullivan is prosecuting the case.
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