BOSTON — A Brazilian national who resides in Woburn, was arrested in Boston today for allegedly selling fraudulent Social Security cards and Green Cards, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts announced today.
Liene Tavares DeBarros, Jr., 39, was charged with one count of unlawful transfer of a document or authentication feature. Following his arrest today, Tavares DeBarros will make an initial court appearance in federal court in Worcester, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts said.
The charging documents allege that in October 2024, Tavares DeBarros sold a Social Security Number Card and a Green Card to an undercover police officer for $250. In December 2024, Tavares DeBarros is accused of selling two additional Social Security cards and Green Cards to an undercover officer for $500.
The charge of unlawful transfer of a document or authentication feature carries a potential sentence of up to 15 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts said. Tavares DeBarros may also face deportation after serving any sentence imposed.
The investigation was conducted by the Homeland Security Investigations’ Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force (DBFTF), which includes personnel from various state, local, and federal agencies with expertise in detecting and disrupting document, identity, and benefit fraud schemes.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John J. Reynolds III of the Criminal Division.
