A Chelsea resident, Wilberto Sandoval Mazariego, has been sentenced for his involvement in selling fake Social Security and Green Cards. The sentencing took place today, with U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs ordering Sandoval Mazariego to serve one month in prison followed by six months of home confinement. In July 2024, he pleaded guilty to the charge of unlawful transfer of a document or authentication feature.
The investigation into Sandoval Mazariego began during a probe into Tomas Xirum's activities involving fraudulent documents. Authorities identified Sandoval Mazariego as the creator of these fake documents that Xirum was distributing. After Xirum's arrest in August 2022, text messages between him and Sandoval Mazariego revealed their illegal operations. These exchanges included approximately 568 attachments showing how they produced counterfeit identification cards using personal information provided by Xirum.
On August 17, 2023, Sandoval Mazariego sold fake identification cards to an undercover agent, leading to his arrest on October 3, 2023. A search of his residence uncovered equipment used for producing counterfeit IDs and various fraudulent documents including Legal Permanent Resident cards and Social Security cards.
Xirum had previously pleaded guilty to related charges and was sentenced in January 2024 to an 18-month prison term.
The case was announced by United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy alongside Michael J. Krol from Homeland Security Investigations New England. Assistant U.S. Attorney David G. Tobin handled the prosecution with support from the Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force, which includes personnel from multiple agencies focused on combating fraud schemes.