Dominican National Sentenced for Identity Theft Charges

From the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Massachusetts:

BOSTON – A Dominican national was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston in connection with using the identity of a U.S. citizen at the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles.

Hector Antonio Cruz Ciprian, 33, a Dominican national previously residing in Lowell, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV to 30 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Cruz Ciprian will be subject to deportation proceedings upon completion of his sentence. On June 21, 2021, Cruz Ciprian pleaded guilty to one count of false representation of a Social Security number and one count of aggravated identity theft.

On June 14, 2016, Cruz Ciprian used the identification of a U.S. citizen to apply for an out-of-state driver’s license conversion at the Registry of Motor Vehicles in Haverhill. In the application, Cruz Ciprian provided, among other things, a Social Security card, birth certificate and utility bill in the victim’s name.

The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security’s Investigation’s Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force (DBFTF), a specialized field investigative group comprised of personnel from various local, state, 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; Matthew B. Millhollin, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; and John Cremonini, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Office of Inspector General; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations; U.S. Department of State, Diplomatic Security Service; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General; U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General; and the Lynn Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Deitch of Mendell’s Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.