Fall River man allegedly used stolen identity after previous arrest, conviction on number of state court cases.

BOSTON – A Fall River man was indicted Thursday by a federal grand jury in Boston for misuse of a Social Security number.

According to the Massachusetts Department of Justice, 43-year-old Arias Mejia was indicted for misuse of a Social Security number, aggravated identity theft, and making a false statement in an application for a United States passport.

Arias Mejia was previously charged by criminal complaint on Dec. 8, 2023, and has remained in federal custody since his arrest. Arias Mejia will appear in federal court in Boston at a later date.

According to court documents, Arias Mejia, a citizen of the Dominican Republic, applied for a United States passport and a Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles Real ID using the name and other biographical information of a resident of Puerto Rico. Arias Mejia allegedly used the stolen identity when he was previously arrested, charged and convicted on a number of state court cases.

The charge of misuse of a Social Security number provides for a sentence of up to five years of in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of making a false statement in an application for a United States passport provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of aggravated identity theft provides for a mandatory sentence of two years in prison to be served consecutive to any other sentence imposed, up to one year of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

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 documents, identity, and benefit fraud schemes.

Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement. Valuable assistance in the investigation was provided by Homeland Security Investigations in Santo Domingo; Puerto Rico Department of Public Safety; U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service; Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General; U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Office of Inspector General; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; and Massachusetts State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney David G. Tobin of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.