Hampton man faces new million-dollar identity fraud scheme charges
HAMPTON — A local man is facing new charges of stealing more than a million dollars in four schemes — including one where he allegedly filed fake unemployment claims in two states on behalf of 54 people.
Anthony M. Silva, 39, was indicted on Dec. 20 by a federal grand jury on 10 counts of wire fraud, three counts of mail fraud, and eight counts of aggravated identity theft.
He is scheduled to be arraigned in federal court Jan. 8.
Silva was previously indicted in March 2022 on three counts of wire fraud, three counts of misuse of a Social Security number, and three counts of aggravated identity theft.
The indictments handed down this month supersede the previous ones.
Silva initially pleaded guilty to stealing nearly $700,000 for two schemes on Nov. 7, 2022, but withdrew his plea in March, citing "ineffective assistance of counsel."
According to the indictments and statements made in court, Silva allegedly orchestrated four separate fraud schemes using stolen identities.
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Silva accused of one of the 'largest unemployment' thefts in NH
Prosecutors allege Silva used stolen names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, and other identifiers to fraudulently obtain unemployment insurance benefits from Vermont and Massachusetts, which were enhanced due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Silva allegedly used the identities of two dozen individuals to apply for Vermont unemployment payments and 30 in Massachusetts.
According to prosecutors, Silva allegedly obtained more than $400,000 from Vermont and over $150,000 from Massachusetts, which they say was "one of the largest unemployment insurance thefts in New Hampshire history."
Silva is also accused of allegedly obtaining CARES Act funds for $600,000 from the U.S. Small Business Administration and trying unsuccessfully to obtain more.
The fraudulently obtained unemployment benefits and CARES Act funds were deposited either by check or direct deposit into dozens of accounts Silva controlled at multiple banks, according to prosecutors.
According to court documents, he deposited those checks into one of 32 different trust accounts, which were in the names of purported charitable causes. The names of the trusts included Peaceful Protesters Bail Fund Trust, Trans Diversity Alliance Trust, Resist Trumpism Trust and BLM New England Trust, according to court documents.
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Prosecutors allege Silva opened 15 fake credit cards
Prosecutors also allege Silva stole the personal identifying information of 12 victims — including their names, Social Security numbers, and dates of birth — to apply for 15 different credit cards from American Express.
As part of the scheme, prosecutors allege, Silva sometimes submitted fake driver's licenses with the victim's name and other identifying information, but with his own photograph.
Court documents allege he used the credit cards to make $59,684.14 in purchases at Walmart, Victoria's Secret and Home Depot, where he was recorded on store security footage making some of the purchases, according to prosecutors.
Law enforcement also searched his computer and found folders of his victims’ personal identifying information, according to prosecutors.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of the Inspector General, and Secret Service. It is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander S. Chen and Assistant U.S. Attorney John Kennedy.
If convicted, Silva faces up to 20 years in prison for the wire fraud charge and a fine of either $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is higher.
The aggravated identity theft charge provides a mandatory sentence of two years to be served consecutive to any other sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes, which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Hampton man faces new million-dollar identity fraud scheme charges
