Erpawi Roque Collado

Pleaded guilty, not yet sentenced. Erpawi Roque Collado, a 54-year-old Boston man born in the Dominican Republic, pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston to unlawfully obtaining SNAP benefits and theft of government money — per the release, he used the stolen identity of a U.S. citizen from Puerto Rico to obtain $24,128 in SNAP benefits from Massachusetts between December 2016 and May 2025. Judge Brian E. Murphy scheduled sentencing for January 14, 2027.

Introduction

Erpawi Roque Collado, 54, pleaded guilty to unlawfully obtaining Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits and theft of government money in federal court in Boston, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Massachusetts press release dated October 30, 2026 . The release describes Collado as a Boston man who was born in the Dominican Republic and is a Lawful Permanent Resident, and states in its opening paragraph that he pleaded guilty to stealing the identity of a U.S. citizen from Puerto Rico and using the stolen identity to obtain more than $20,000 in federally funded benefits from Massachusetts . Collado was indicted on April 23, 2026, and U.S. District Court Judge Brian E. Murphy scheduled sentencing for Jan. 14, 2027, per the release .

Background Information

Per the release, Collado used a stolen identity to obtain $24,128 in SNAP benefits from Massachusetts between December 2016 and May 2025 — a period of roughly eight and a half years . The identity he used belonged to a U.S. citizen from Puerto Rico, according to the release’s opening paragraph, which also notes his own status as a Lawful Permanent Resident born in the Dominican Republic . The document’s two benefit figures differ slightly in framing: the opening paragraph says “more than $20,000 in federally funded benefits,” while the body states the specific total of $24,128 in SNAP benefits; both figures are quoted here as the release states them. Beyond that, the release documents nothing else about Collado’s life, work or history.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

The conduct at issue is the identity theft and the years-long benefits draw that followed it. Per the release, Collado stole the identity of a U.S. citizen from Puerto Rico and used it to obtain federally funded benefits from Massachusetts, pleaded guilty to unlawfully obtaining SNAP benefits and theft of government money, and was indicted on April 23, 2026 — roughly five months before the plea . The specific take, according to the release, was $24,128 in SNAP benefits obtained between December 2016 and May 2025 . The release does not identify the victim by name, describe how the identity was stolen, or say what triggered the investigation, and no such details appear in the document.

Public Reaction and Consequences

The plea was announced by United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Jeff Grimming, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England, per the release, which states that Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanne Sullivan Jacobus of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case . The release is tagged “BENEFIT FRAUD” and “IMMIGRATION” among its topics, and it contains no statement from Collado or any attorney for him . No victim statement, court exhibit or community reaction appears in the document, and this page is limited to what the release itself states.

Current Status

Collado has pleaded guilty to both counts — a conviction on each — and is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Brian E. Murphy on Jan. 14, 2027, per the release . The release lays out the statutory exposure: the charge of unlawfully obtaining SNAP benefits provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000, while the charge of theft of government money provides for up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 . Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the statutes governing sentencing, per the release, which does not say whether Collado is in custody or released pending sentencing and states no restitution amount.

Impact on Their Career/Life

At 54, Collado — a Lawful Permanent Resident of the United States, per the release — now holds federal convictions for unlawfully obtaining SNAP benefits and theft of government money, in a case the government frames around an identity stolen from a U.S. citizen from Puerto Rico and $24,128 drawn from Massachusetts over more than eight years. The release notes his immigration status but addresses no immigration consequences, and it documents nothing else about his life in Boston: no employment, no family, no statement in his own voice. The sentencing on Jan. 14, 2027, before Judge Murphy, is the next fixed public event, and until it produces a sentence, the two convictions, the statutory maximums and the $24,128 total are the entire documented record.

Sources

U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Massachusetts, “Dominican National Pleads Guilty to Receiving Over $24,000 in SNAP Benefits,” October 30, 2026 — source