The Department of Justice announced on Wednesday (Aug. 10) that a suspect accused of taking part in an identity trafficking scheme that involved identity document runners, suppliers and brokers all working in unison to steal identities and commit financial fraud has pleaded guilty.
In a statement, the DOJ explained that Isaias Beltre-Matos, a Dominican national and legal permanent resident of the U.S., has admitted to one count of conspiracy to commit identification fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit human smuggling for financial gain. Both charges are in relation to Beltre-Matos’ suspected role in stealing the identities of Puerto Rican U.S. citizens and their corresponding identity documents.
To date, a total of 14 people have been charged for participating in the scheme, with six pleading guilty, two awaiting trial and six others who have still yet to be caught by authorities.
According to Beltre-Matos’ admissions, the DOJ said that the identity document runners were responsible for obtaining the identities and corresponding identity documents from individuals, while the other conspirators sold the Social Security cards and corresponding Puerto Rican birth certificates in cities throughout the U.S.
The prices of the identity documents ranged from $700 to $2,500 per set, Beltre-Matos stated. He also admitted that the identity document suppliers and brokers would facilitate the illicit transactions via text messages, money transfer services and the U.S. mail system.
Beltre-Matos told the DOJ that, in some cases, the stolen identities and documents were used by people to obtain other official identification documents, such as driver’s licenses and U.S. passports, while others used the stolen information to perpetrate financial fraud.
Just months ago, a Virginia man was sentenced to 47 months in prison by a federal district court for his role in a massive identity fraud scheme.
Bradley King of Fredericksburg, Virginia, is just one of nearly 20 people who have pled guilty to participating in the scheme, which sought to steal more than $1.5 million in income tax refunds by filing fraudulent returns.
Court documents confirm that the overall case involves the filing of at least 12,000 fraudulent federal income tax returns in order to obtain roughly $42 million in total funds.
A statement from the DOJ stated that King pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the federal government, one count of theft of public money and one count of aiding and abetting in fraud.
In addition to his prison term, King is required to pay $493,436 in restitution to the IRS and a forfeiture money judgment of $5,400. After his sentence is complete, King will be placed on supervised release for three years.
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