A Dominican national living in Fall River has been sentenced in a Boston federal court for passport fraud and related offenses. Hector Eduardo Arias Mejia, 49, received a sentence of two years and one day in prison, followed by one year of supervised release. He faces deportation after serving his sentence.
U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns handed down the sentence following Arias Mejia's guilty plea in March 2025 to charges including misuse of a Social Security number, aggravated identity theft, and making a false statement on a U.S. passport application. Arias Mejia was indicted by a federal grand jury in December 2023.
The charging documents reveal that since at least 2011, Arias Mejia unlawfully used the identity of a U.S. citizen from Puerto Rico. In 2011, using this stolen identity, he was convicted of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and served an 18-month jail term. In 2016, he was again convicted under the same identity for three counts of possession with intent to distribute drugs, resulting in a two-year jail sentence.
The investigation was led by Homeland Security Investigation’s Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force (DBFTF), which includes personnel from various state, local, and federal agencies skilled in detecting document and identity fraud schemes.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England announced the sentencing. They acknowledged assistance from multiple agencies including Homeland Security Investigations in Santo Domingo; Puerto Rico Department of Public Safety; U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service; Social Security Administration’s 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 from the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.