HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT — A former Connecticut truck driver who spent more than two decades collecting disability, food stamps, and unemployment benefits he was not entitled to — all while working full-time under a stolen identity — received a 57-month federal prison sentence on March 9, 2026. The case took a dramatic turn when he staged his own drowning to flee justice.
U.S. District Judge Vernon D. Oliver sentenced Ricardo Santiago, 60, of Hartford, to 57 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Santiago must also pay $371,686 in restitution and a $100 special assessment. He pleaded guilty to wire fraud on February 24, 2025.
The Sche me
Between 2002 and 2024, Santiago held jobs with more than 20 employers and earned over $580,000 in income. For part of that time, he worked as a truck driver with a commercial driver’s license. Throughout, he hid his employment from federal and state agencies by giving employers a Social Security number and card belonging to another person.
The fraud ran on three tracks simultaneously. Starting in September 2002, Santiago collected more than $316,000 in Retirement Survivors Disability Insurance benefits. He told the Social Security Administration he could not work due to disability. In 2017, he renewed those benefits, again claiming he remained disabled and had not worked in two years.
That same year, Santiago applied for food stamp benefits. He told the Connecticut Department of Social Services he earned no income. He collected more than $18,000 in SNAP purchases he was not entitled to.
Then, from April 2020 to February 2021, Santiago applied for unemployment insurance using another person’s Social Security number. He told the Connecticut Department of Labor he was unemployed but available and physically able to work. He collected more than $36,000 in payments he did not deserve.
The Fake Drowning
Santiago was arrested on May 7, 2024. After pleading guilty, he was released on bond awaiting sentencing. In September 2025, he staged his own drowning — and that of his 11-year-old daughter, Amelia — in the Connecticut River and attempted to flee. Authorities issued an Amber Alert for the child. Hartford Police located both Santiago and his daughter in Hartford on September 20, 2025. Santiago has been in custody ever since.
The investigation was conducted by the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Department of Agriculture OIG, the U.S. Department of Labor OIG, and the U.S. Department of Transportation OIG. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathan J. Guevremont prosecuted the case.
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