HARTFORD, Conn. — A Hartford man was arrested on Tuesday after being charged with three counts of wire fraud stemming from a scheme in which he is alleged to have fraudulently collected Social Security, unemployment, and Food Stamp benefits, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut.
Ricardo Santiago, 58, pleaded not guilty on Tuesday and was released on a $25,000 bond, according to prosecutors.
An indictment returned on May 1, as well as statements made in court, allege that between 2002 and 2024, Santiago worked for numerous employers and earned income of more than $500,000, prosecutors said.
During this time, prosecutors said Santiago concealed his income from federal and state government agencies by providing employers with false identification, including a Social Security number and card belonging to another individual, and, in at least one instance, a false Social Security card.
According to prosecutors, the indictment alleges that, in 2002, Santiago applied for Retirement Survivors Disability Insurance benefits, making it known to the Social Security Administration that he was unable to work due to disability.
In September 2002, he began receiving RSDI payments, prosecutors said, noting that in 2017, Santiago completed paperwork to keep his benefits, asserting that he was still disabled and had not worked for the previous two years. He ultimately collected more than $300,000 in RSDI payments he was not entitled to receive, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors note that the indictment also alleges that in April 2020, Santiago applied to the Connecticut Department of Labor for unemployment insurance benefits, and, on the application, he used a Social Security number belonging to another person and represented to the Connecticut Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Labor that he was unemployed but available for work and physically able to work.
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Prosecutors said Santiago completed weekly certifications making the same claims and, from April 2020 through February 2021, he received more than $35,000 in payments he was not entitled to.
According to prosecutors, Santiago faces a maximum prison sentence of 20 years on each count of wire fraud.
The matter is being investigated by the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of the Inspector General, and the U.S. Department of Labor Office of the Inspector General, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt and that charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
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Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer and writer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.
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