MIAMI — A Dominican national living illegally in the United States was sentenced to 52 months in federal prison for using a stolen Social Security number to collect more than $105,000 in disability benefits and fraudulently enroll in Medicare, generating approximately $3.4 million in billed health care charges over four years.
Senior U.S. District Judge Paul C. Huck handed down the sentence against Juan Francisco De La Cruz Mejia, 38, of Miami Springs, after he pleaded guilty to theft of government funds, Social Security fraud, health care fraud and aggravated identity theft. Beginning in February 2021, De La Cruz Mejia used another person’s name and Social Security number to obtain Title II disability benefits, collecting $105,057.90 through August 2025.
“This defendant stole an American citizen’s identity and used it to siphon taxpayer-funded benefits for years,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “Social Security and Medicare exist to serve eligible beneficiaries, not fraudsters. The Southern District of Florida will continue to prosecute those who steal public benefits, abuse government programs, and exploit the trust of American taxpayers.”
In April 2021, De La Cruz Mejia used the same stolen identity to enroll in Medicare. He then received medical services and prescription drugs under the victim’s name, causing health care providers to submit claims — including Medicare Parts A, B and D benefits and durable medical equipment — totaling approximately $3.4 million in billed charges. Medicare paid out approximately $108,057.63 on those claims.
“This sentencing demonstrates our unwavering commitment to protecting the integrity of Social Security programs,” said Special Agent in Charge Conor Washington of the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General, Eastern CDI Division. “The defendant, a foreign national unlawfully present in the United States, stole an American citizen’s Social Security number and used it to illegally receive more than $100,000 in Social Security benefits. SSA OIG will continue to aggressively investigate benefit fraud schemes to safeguard taxpayer funds and protect the public.”
Special Agent in Charge Isaac M. Bledsoe of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General called the case a direct assault on programs designed for vulnerable Americans. “Identity theft and health care fraud undermine the integrity of federal health care programs that exist to serve some of our nation’s most vulnerable individuals,” Bledsoe said. “By stealing another person’s identity to improperly access Medicare benefits, the defendant siphoned taxpayer-funded resources meant to care for legitimate Medicare enrollees.”
The SSA OIG and HHS-OIG investigated the case. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Nikole Hiciano prosecuted it in the Southern District of Florida under case number 25-cr-20460.