SCRANTON — A Hazleton man was sentenced to 24 months’ imprisonment for aggravated identify theft on Tuesday in federal court.
Andres Santos, 39, received his sentence from United States District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani in connection with a scheme to unlawfully obtain various government benefits, according to a press release issued by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.
According to Acting U.S. Attorney Bruce Brandler, Santos used the name, date of birth and social security number of an unnamed victim while also misrepresenting his citizenship status in order to obtain social welfare benefits to which he was not entitled.
Specifically, Santos used the stolen identity to obtain benefits from Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in the total amount of approximately $11,000.
The case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security and the Pennsylvania Office of the State Inspector General.
— Kevin Carroll