Dominican in South Florida sentenced for stealing identity for Social Security benefits
Key Points(5)
- A Dominican national living in South Florida has been sentenced to more than four years in federal prison after admitting to using a stolen identity to fraudulently obtain Social Security disability benefits and Medicare coverage.
- According to the U.S.
- Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida, 38-year-old Juan Francisco De La Cruz Mejia of Miami Springs was sentenced by Senior U.S.
- District Judge Paul C.
- Huck to 52 months in prison after pleading guilty to theft of government funds, Social Security fraud, health care fraud, and aggravated identity theft.
A Dominican national living in South Florida has been sentenced to more than four years in federal prison after admitting to using a stolen identity to fraudulently obtain Social Security disability benefits and Medicare coverage.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida, 38-year-old Juan Francisco De La Cruz Mejia of Miami Springs was sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge Paul C. Huck to 52 months in prison after pleading guilty to theft of government funds, Social Security fraud, health care fraud, and aggravated identity theft.
Federal prosecutors said De La Cruz Mejia used another person's name and Social Security number beginning in February 2021 to obtain Social Security Title II disability benefits to which he was not entitled. The scheme continued for more than four years, causing losses to the Social Security Administration of more than $105,000.
Court records show De La Cruz Mejia fraudulently received $105,057.90 in disability benefits between February 2021 and August 2025. He also used the stolen identity to enroll in Medicare in April 2021.
Authorities said that through the fraudulent Medicare enrollment, De La Cruz Mejia received medical services, prescription drugs, and durable medical equipment under the victim's identity. Health care providers subsequently billed Medicare approximately $3.4 million for services rendered, resulting in Medicare payments totaling about $108,057.63.
U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones said the defendant "stole an American citizen's identity and used it to siphon taxpayer-funded benefits for years."
"Social Security and Medicare exist to serve eligible beneficiaries, not fraudsters," Reding Quiñones said. "The Southern District of Florida will continue to prosecute those who steal public benefits, abuse government programs, and exploit the trust of American taxpayers."
Conor Washington, special agent in charge of the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General's Eastern Cooperative Disability Investigations Division, said the sentence demonstrates the agency's commitment to protecting the integrity of Social Security programs.
Officials from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General also said identity theft and health care fraud divert taxpayer-funded resources intended for legitimate Medicare beneficiaries.
The case was investigated by the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General and the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Nikole Hiciano prosecuted the case.
