Pretty much everyone would love a way to make some passive income on the side.
A Connecticut man who previously worked as a truck driver, however, chose a route that landed him a prison sentence.
On March 9, the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut sentenced Ricardo Santiago to 57 months’ imprisonment and three years of supervised release after he pleaded guilty to fraud charges. Additionally, Santiago must pay $371,686 in restitution and a $100 special assessment.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General, Santiago held jobs with more than 20 employers and earned over $500,000 between 2002 and 2024. For some of that time, he worked as a truck driver with a commercial driver’s license. At the same time, Santiago concealed his income from federal and state government agencies by providing employers with false identification, including a Social Security number and card belonging to another individual.
Beginning in 2002, Santiago collected more than $316,000 in Retirement Survivors Disability Insurance benefits by falsely representing that he was unable to work because of a disability.
Starting in 2017, Santiago made over $18,000 in purchases using Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits he received by falsely claiming that he earned no income from employment. In addition, from April 2020 to February 2021, Santiago received over $36,000 in unemployment insurance benefits by using another person’s Social Security number and claiming that he was unemployed but available and physically able to work.
In September 2025, while released on bond and awaiting sentencing, Santiago staged his and his 11-year-old daughter’s drowning in the Connecticut River and attempted to flee. An Amber Alert was issued for the daughter, Amelia. Hartford Police located Santiago and his daughter in Hartford on Sept. 20, 2025. Santiago has been detained since that date.
The DOT’s Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation with the Social Security Administration, the Department of Labor and the Department of Agriculture. LL
Related:
Freight brokerage owner accused of wire fraud, money laundering
Trucking company owner ordered to pay millions for Ponzi scheme
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