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Florida Man Sentenced for Social Security and Wire Fraud

OCI BadgeDepartment of Justice
U.S. Attorney’s Office
District of Massachusetts

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, October 8, 2019

Defendant hired as cardiac surgical technologist after falsifying employment documents, work history, references

BOSTON – A Florida man was sentenced today in federal court in Springfield in connection with his submission of a fraudulent application for employment at a Western Massachusetts hospital.

Fabrizio I. Pluchino, a/k/a “Fabrizio Pulchino,” 56, of Florida, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni to time served (approximately 9.5 months in prison) and three years of supervised release. In July 2019, Pluchino pleaded guilty to one count of using a falsely obtained Social Security number and one count of wire fraud.

Pluchino was assigned a Social Security number in 1988 and subsequently falsely obtained two additional Social Security numbers in 1991 and 2000, respectively. Around November 2013, Pluchino used one of his falsely obtained Social Security numbers on pre-employment documents when he applied to be a cardiac surgical technologist at a Western Massachusetts hospital. He also falsely represented his work history and provided two false employment references. As a result, the hospital hired Pluchino for the position and paid Pluchino more than $190,000 in wages during his employment.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Jeffrey Ebersole, Special Agent in Charge of the Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations, New York Field Office; and Scott Antolik, Special Agent in Charge of the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Boston Field Division made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Deepika Bains Shukla of Lelling’s Springfield Branch Office prosecuted the case.

Component(s):
USAO - Massachusetts

 

 
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