BOSTON — A Boston man pleaded guilty Friday in federal court in Boston to stealing the identity of a U.S. citizen from Puerto Rico and using it to collect federally funded food benefits from Massachusetts, according to the U.S. attorney's office.

Erpawi Roque Collado, 54, pleaded guilty to unlawfully obtaining Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits and to theft of government money, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said Collado used the stolen identity to obtain $24,128 in SNAP benefits from Massachusetts between December 2016 and May 2025.

Collado was indicted April 23. U.S. District Judge Brian E. Murphy scheduled sentencing for Jan. 14, 2027.

The SNAP charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and the theft charge carries up to 10 years, prosecutors said. Any sentence will be set by the judge under federal sentencing guidelines.

The case was announced by U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley's office and Homeland Security Investigations in New England.

This brief was drafted by AI from a public agency or political press release and published by The New England Signal. Why we use AI for stories like this one.