A Connecticut trucker pleaded guilty in connection with a years-long scheme to fraudulently obtain government benefits.
On February 24, 2025, Hartford resident Ricardo Santiago, 59, pleaded guilty to guilty to one count of wire fraud in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation-Office of Inspector General, Santiago worked as a CDL truck driver and held jobs with over 20 employers between 2002 and 2024. In that time, officials say that Santiago earned income of more than $500,000.
Starting in 2002, Santiago applied for and received Retirement Survivors Disability Insurance (RSDI) benefits by representing to the Social Security Administration that he could not work due to a disability. In 2017, Santiago filed new paperwork in order to maintain those benefits, claiming that he was still disabled and unable to work. Officials say that he ultimately collected $316,000 in RSDI payments that he should not have received.
In February 2017, Santiago applied for SNAP benefits (food stamps) with the Connecticut Department of Social Services (CT-DSS), claiming that he was disabled and earned no income from employment. Officials say that after SNAP benefits began for him in March 2017, he used them to make $18,000 in purchases.
In April 2020, Santiago applied for unemployment benefits with the Connecticut Department of Labor (CT-DOL), reportedly telling officials that he was unemployed but available and physically able to work. From April 2020 through February 2021, Santiago received more than $36,000 in payments to which he was not entitled, officials said.
The wire fraud charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
Santiago has agreed to pay $371,686 in restitution.
This case was investigated by the Social Security Administration-Office of the Inspector General, the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Office of the Inspector General, the U.S. Department of Labor-Office of the Inspector General, and the U.S. Department of Transportation-Office of the Inspector General.
