A Worcester man was sentenced on May 12 in federal court in Boston for fraudulently receiving tens of thousands of dollars in Pandemic Unemployment Assistance while working full-time as a Transportation Security Administration Security Officer.
Ismael Rosado Jr., 40, received a sentence of three years’ probation from U.S. Senior District Court Judge Patti B. Saris. The government had recommended four months in prison followed by one year of supervised release. Rosado was also ordered to pay $47,526 in restitution after pleading guilty to one count of wire fraud in February and being charged in December the previous year.
According to the announcement, Rosado worked full-time at Boston Logan International Airport from November 2018 through October 2021. Between May 2020 and September 2021, he applied for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance and submitted weekly certifications falsely claiming he was unemployed and had no income. These misrepresentations resulted in him receiving $47,526 in benefits he was not entitled to receive.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Anthony D’Esposito, Inspector General of the Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General; and Joseph V. Cuffari, Ph.D., Inspector General with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General made the announcement regarding the sentencing. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Sullivan prosecuted the case.
“On March 26, 2026, United States Attorney Leah B. Foley announced the creation of the Benefit & Voter Fraud Team, a district-wide initiative established in response to the rampant fraud being uncovered across Massachusetts.” The team is led by two senior federal prosecutors serving as Fraud Coordinators with a mission “to aggressively investigate and prosecute misuse of taxpayer-funded benefits in Massachusetts.” Members of the public are encouraged to report suspected benefit fraud by calling a dedicated hotline.
The Department of Justice announced on April 7 that it has created a National Fraud Enforcement Division tasked with investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against Americans: “The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.” The U.S. Attorney for the District serves all residents statewide and enforces federal laws through prosecutions including national security threats and civil rights violations; it advances community initiatives on civil rights and violence prevention while employing over 200 attorneys and staff at offices including its main facility at John Joseph Moakley United States Federal Courthouse according to the official website.
