BOSTON – A Lawrence man who has been living under a false identity pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to charges arising from his use of the name and Social Security number of a U.S. citizen.
An individual referred to as “John Doe” pleaded guilty to false representation of a Social Security number, making a false statement concerning a health care benefit program and aggravated identity theft. U.S. District Court Judge William G. Young scheduled sentencing for Sept. 30, 2021. Doe was indicted by a federal grand jury in June 2020.
Beginning in approximately 2014, Doe used the identity of a U.S. citizen to apply for MassHealth benefits and Massachusetts identification documents, among other things. Between approximately 2014 and 2018, Doe received approximately $25,081 in MassHealth benefits that he was not entitled to.
The charges of false representation of a Social Security number and making a false statement concerning a health care benefit program each provide for a sentence of up to five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of aggravated identity theft provides for a mandatory sentence of two years in prison to be served consecutively to any other sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
