Illegal Alien Charged with Healthcare Benefit Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft

A federal grand jury in the District of Massachusetts indicted Santo Escolastico Cuello, 56, a Dominican national unlawfully residing in Worcester, Massachusetts, on three counts of making false statements relating to health care matters and one count of aggravated identity theft. Cuello had been charged by criminal complaint in June 2026 and will be arraigned at a later date. According to court filings, Cuello used the stolen identity of a U.S. citizen, including that citizen's Social Security number, to apply for and receive MassHealth benefits. In connection with those applications, Cuello submitted a sworn affidavit falsely representing that he was a U.S. citizen. The criminal complaint alleges Cuello obtained approximately $162,180 in MassHealth benefits through this scheme. The complaint further alleges that during prior arrests, Cuello identified himself to law enforcement as the individual whose identity he had stolen. The case is being prosecuted by the Health Care Fraud Unit of the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Massachusetts, with investigative support from Homeland Security Investigations and the HHS Office of Inspector General. The charge of making false statements relating to a health care program carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine per count. The aggravated identity theft charge carries a mandatory two-year consecutive sentence, one year of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. Upon completion of any sentence, Cuello is subject to deportation.