Schenectady Man Pleads Guilty to Identity Theft

ALBANY, NEW YORK – A Schenectady man pleaded guilty on Friday to stealing another person’s identity and using that person’s information to apply for a United States passport and public benefits.

The announcement was made by United States Attorney Richard S. Hartunian, Special Agent in Charge David Schnorbus of the Department of State Diplomatic Security Service, and Edward J. Ryan, Special Agent-In-Charge of the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General.

During his plea on Friday before United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino, the man identified himself as Fernando Lugo, a citizen of the Dominican Republic residing in Schenectady prior to his arrest.  He admitted that in April 2010, he submitted an application for a U.S. passport to the U.S. Post Office in Schenectady.  In February 2015, he applied to receive Medicaid benefits with the Schenectady County Department of Social Services.  On both applications, he used the name, Social Security Number, and date of birth of another person he knew.

The defendant faces at least 2 years and up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of post-imprisonment supervised release of up to 3 years when he is sentenced on July 7, 2016 by Judge D’Agostino.  A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.

This case was investigated by the Department of State Diplomatic Security Service and the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General, and is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason W. White.