Former Peabody Man Found Guilty of Purchasing Social Security Number

A former Peabody man has been found guilty of purchasing false identity documents and receiving unemployment benefits, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Renato de la Cruz, 40, was convicted of theft of public money, use of a falsely obtained Social Security Number and aggravated identity theft. He was found guilty after a three-day trial.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office:

“De la Cruz, an illegal alien, entered the United States using a false name and purchased identity documents in the name of yet another person. De la Cruz then used the purchased identifying information to obtain a Social Security Number and used the Social Security Number for multiple purposes, including to obtain thousands of dollars of unemployment benefits to which he was not entitled.”

He will be sentenced on Oct. 14 and faces a maximum sentence of 10 years and a $250,000 fine.