Massachusetts man arrested for allegedly selling fake Social Security cards, green cards

“A Chelsea man was arrested yesterday for allegedly selling fraudulent Social Security cards and Legal Permanent Resident cards, often referred to as “Green Cards.”

Wilberto Sandoval Mazariego, 40, was charged with one count of unlawful transfer of a document or authentication feature. Sandoval Mazariego was arrested near his residence yesterday and, following an initial appearance in federal court in Boston, was detained pending a hearing set for Oct. 5, 2023.

According to the charging documents, during an investigation into Tomas Xirum for selling fraudulent Green Cards and fraudulent Social Security cards, law enforcement allegedly identified Sandoval Mazariego as the creator of the fraudulent documents Xirum was selling. Following Xirum’s arrest in August 2022, law enforcement allegedly found a text message string between Xirum and Sandoval Mazariego that contained approximately 568 attachments. It is alleged that in the messages, Xirum would regularly text Sandoval Mazariego pictures of unknown persons along with a name, date of birth and country of birth – to which Sandoval Mazariego would later respond with pictures of Social Security cards and/or Green Cards with the person’s photo and information that Xirum provided.

On Aug. 17, 2023, Sandoval Mazariego allegedly sold a fraudulent Green Card and a fraudulent Social Security card to an undercover agent.

On Aug. 21, 2023, Xirum pleaded guilty to three counts of unlawful transfer of document or authentication feature and three counts of unlawful production of document or authentication feature. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 11, 2024.

The charge of unlawful transfer of document or authentication feature and unlawful production of document or authentication feature provides for a sentence of up to 15 years in prison, three years 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 statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

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 today. Assistant U.S. Attorney David G. Tobin of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the 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 document, identity, and benefit fraud schemes.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.” -Massachusetts Department of Justice.