Former TSA Security Officer Pleads Guilty to Fraudulently Obtaining Pandemic Unemployment Assistance

BOSTON - A Worcester man pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston to fraudulently obtaining tens of thousands of dollars in Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) while employed as a TSA Security Officer full-time.

Ismael Rosado Jr., 40, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. U.S. Senior District Court Judge Patti B. Saris scheduled sentencing for May 19, 2026. Rosado was charged in December 2025.

Rosado was employed full-time as a TSA Security Officer at Boston Logan International Airport from November 2018 through October 2021. Between May 2020 and September 2021, Rosado submitted an application seeking PUA and weekly certifications claiming he was unemployed and making no income. Based on misrepresentations in the application and weekly certifications, Rosado received $47,526 in unemployment benefits to which he was not entitled.

The charge of wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gain or loss, whichever is greater. 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; Anthony D'Esposito, Inspector General of the Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General; and Joseph V. Cuffari, Ph.D., Inspector General, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Sullivan of the Criminal Division is prosecuting the case.