PROVIDENCE — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - Rhode Island), published as received.
PROVIDENCE – A Central Falls resident, who immigrated to the United States from the Dominican Republic, has pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Providence to charges he defrauded people who had recently immigrated from the Dominican Republic by pocketing fees he told them that they had to pay when submitting their naturalization applications. He knew that their fees were waived but lied to them to take their money.
Bienvenido “Alex” Peralta Martinez, 30, admitted that he falsely told people who sought his assistance in the preparation and submission of naturalization applications that he was required to submit a fee along with the application when, in fact, he typed and signed his victims’ names on a form requesting that the fees be waived.
Peralta Martinez admitted that he demanded that payment for the fee be made in the form of money orders. The victims paid Martinez for the preparation of their naturalization applications, and then Martinez stole money from them by pocketing the proceeds of those money orders.
Appearing before U.S. District Court William E. Smith, Peralta Martinez pleaded guilty to three counts of mail fraud and three counts of aggravated identity theft, announced United States Attorney Aaron L. Weisman and Homeland Security Investigations Acting Special Agent in Charge David Magdycz.
Peralta Martinez is scheduled to be sentenced on March 12, 2021.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Milind M. Shah.
The matter was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations.
###
