Former Holyoke Man Sentenced for Benefit Fraud

BOSTON – A former Holyoke man was sentenced yesterday in U.S. District Court in Springfield for fraudulently using another person’s identity to obtain governmental benefits. 

Eddie Saez, 56, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni to two years in prison, three years of supervised release and ordered to pay restitution of $76,288 to the Social Security Administration, $83,865 to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Executive Office of Health and Human Services, and $20,573 to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Department of Unemployment Assistance.  In November 2015, Saez pleaded guilty to three counts of false use of a social security number.

Saez used another individual’s name and Social Security number to obtain Social Security benefits, payments under the MassHealth Personal Care Attendant (PCA) program, and unemployment compensation.  In addition to receiving Social Security benefits under a false identity, Saez manipulated the PCA program by paying himself under his real name, and by claiming to perform services to himself under his false identity.  When the PCA services where terminated, Saez obtained unemployment benefits in his real name.  

United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz; Scott Antolik, Special Agent in Charge of the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Boston Field Division; Phillip Coyne, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General, Office of Investigations; and Cheryl Garcia, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, New York Region, made the announcement.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen L. Goodwin of Ortiz’s Springfield Office.