Dominican National Pleads Guilty to Money Laundering and Identity Theft Charges

BOSTON – A Dominican man unlawfully residing in Lawrence has pleaded guilty to money laundering, false use of a Social Security number and aggravated identity theft.

Juan Carlos Lugo Gonzalez, a/k/a “Josue Cabrera,” 45, pleaded guilty on Dec. 16, 2025 to one count of money laundering, one count of false use of a Social Security number and one count of aggravated identity theft. U.S. District Court Chief Judge Denise J. Casper scheduled sentencing for March 26, 2026. Lugo Gonzalez was indicted by a federal grand jury in February 2025. The defendant is subject to deportation proceedings upon completion of any sentence imposed.

Beginning at least as early as 2020, an investigation began into Lugo Gonzalez and others for laundering proceeds of drug trafficking. In August 2023, following a series of communications with undercover law enforcement, Lugo Gonzalez arranged and carried out the delivery of approximately $109,715 in drug proceeds to an undercover agent in Lawrence. During the exchange, Lugo Gonzalez confirmed his identity using a prearranged token and discussed his involvement in trafficking multiple drugs – claiming control over drug activity in the Lawrence area.

Additionally, in June 2023, Lugo Gonzalez used a Social Security number assigned to another individual to apply for and obtain a Massachusetts ID.

The charge of money laundering provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of $500,000 or twice the amount of laundered funds, whichever is greater. The charge of misuse of a Social Security number provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, two years of supervised release and a fine of $25,000. The charge of aggravated identity theft provides for a mandatory two-year sentence in prison to be served consecutively to a sentence imposed, one year of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. 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.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Jarod A. Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Department of Homeland Security Investigations and the Massachusetts State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alathea E. Porter and John O. Wray of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit are prosecuting the case.

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Boston is comprised of agents and officers from HSI, FBI, DEA, ATF, USMS, IRS-CI, USPIS, DOL-OIG and DSS, as well as several state and local law enforcement agencies, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.