Dominican National Sentenced for False Identity Crimes

 BOSTON – A Dominican national previously residing in Methuen was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for aggravated identity theft and fraudulent use of a Social Security number.

Manuel Enrique Arias Aguasvivas, 32, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Rya W. Zobel to two years in prison and one year of supervised release. Arias Aguasvivas will be subject to deportation proceedings upon completion of his sentence. On Feb. 17, 2021, Arias Aguasvivas pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated identity theft and one count of false representation of a Social Security number.

On July 2, 2015, Arias Aguasvivas submitted an application to renew his Massachusetts driver’s license in the Lawrence office of the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles. In so doing, he used the Social Security number and other identifying information of a U.S. citizen.

The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigation’s Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force (DBFTF), a specialized investigative group comprising personnel from various state, local and federal agencies with expertise in detecting, deterring and disrupting organizations and individuals involved in various types of document, identity and benefit fraud schemes.

Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell; William S. Walker, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; and Phillip M. Coyne, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Office of Inspector General made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Marshals Service, District of Massachusetts; Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Boston Field Office; U.S. Secret Service; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Diplomatic Security, Boston Field Office; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations, Boston; the Massachusetts State Police; and the Massachusetts Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert E. Richardson of Mendell’s Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.