Dominican National Pleads Guilty to Identity Theft Charges

 BOSTON – A Dominican national pleaded guilty yesterday 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, pleaded guilty to one count of false representation of a Social Security number and one count of aggravated identity theft. U.S. Chief District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV scheduled sentencing for Oct. 22, 2021. Cruz Ciprian was arrested in December 2019.

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 charge of false representation of a Social Security number provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of aggravated identity theft provides for a two year sentence to be served consecutively to any other sentence imposed, one year of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.  

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; William S. Walker, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; and Tonya Perkins, 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 is prosecuting the case.