A former Methuen man was sentenced to two years in prison Wednesday for aggravated identity theft and fraudulent use of a Social Security number.
According to Acting U.S. Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendel, 32-year-old Manuel Enrique Arias Aguasvivas was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Rya W. Zobel to two years in prison and one year of supervised release. Arias Aguasvivas will also be subject to deportation to the Dominican Republic after completion of his term. Arias Aguasvivas pleaded guilty Feb. 17, to one count of aggravated identity theft and one count of false representation of a Social Security number.
Back in July 2015, Arias Aguasvivas submitted an application to renew his Massachusetts driver’s license in the Lawrence office of the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles, but used the Social Security number and identifying information of a U.S. citizen.
The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigation’s Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force, a specialized investigative group comprising personnel from various state, local and federal agencies with expertise in various types of document, identity and benefit fraud schemes.