Rhode Island man pleads guilty to ID theft, drug charges

A Rhode Island man who pleaded guilty to drug charges, and stealing someone’s identity by using their Social Security number to get Medicaid benefits and a driver’s license, faces up to 57 years in prison, federal prosecutors said.

Jeurin Celado, 30, a Dominican national who lives in Pawtucket, used the name, date of birth, and Social Security number of a person he does not know to gain permits and driver’s licenses from the department of Motor Vehicles, according to a statement Monday from the U.S. attorney’s office in Rhode Island.

He used that same information to obtain Rhode Island Medicaid benefits he was not eligible to receive an a non-citizen, prosecutors said.

In addition, authorities said he sold fentanyl out of an apartment in 2019, authorities said.

He pleaded guilty Friday. He faces a minimum of seven years and a maximum of 57 years behind bars at sentencing scheduled for July 9, prosecutors said.