BOSTON — A Worcester man pleaded guilty on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026, in federal court in Boston to fraudulently collecting Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) while employed full-time as a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officer at Logan International Airport.
Ismael Rosado Jr., 40, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts. U.S. Senior District Court Judge Patti Saris scheduled sentencing for May 19, 2026. Rosado was charged in December 2025.
According to federal prosecutors, Rosado worked as a TSA security officer at Boston Logan International Airport from November 2018 through October 2021. Between May 2020 and September 2021, he submitted an application for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance and weekly certifications stating he was unemployed and earning no income.
Based on those representations, Rosado received $47,526 in unemployment benefits to which he was not entitled, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts said in a statement.
Wire fraud carries a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gain or loss, whichever is greater. Any sentence will be determined by a federal judge under U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and applicable statutes.
United States Attorney Leah Foley; Anthony D’Esposito, Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Labor; and Joseph Cuffari, Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, announced the plea. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Sullivan of the Criminal Division is prosecuting the case.
