WORCESTER – A Worcester man who worked at a city store whose owner was jailed for $3.6 million in food stamp fraud admitted Tuesday to stealing people’s identities.

Yaw Okyere, 36, a citizen of Ghana who overstayed a student visa in 2009, pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated identity theft and one count of possessing five or more identification documents.

Mr. Okyere was arrested last year after authorities said they found evidence of identity theft and dozens of boxes of pricey merchandise in his apartment.

He had nearly 200 state driver’s licenses in files on his computer, authorities said, and apparently used other people’s identities to order goods through the mail.

Authorities allege in court documents that Mr. Okyere had intermediaries bring the ill-gotten goods to his day job at J&W Aseda Plaza, the same Worcester store where $3.6 million in food stamp fraud was perpetrated several years ago.

Mr. Okyere is described in court documents as a relative of the store owner, Vida Causey, who was sentenced to a year in jail. He told authorities who raided his home she was his aunt.

The charges Mr. Okyere faces carry combined maximum penalties of up to 17 years in prison and a fine of up to $500,000. He also faces possible deportation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth G. Shine said Tuesday he would recommend at most a sentence of 32 months.

Mr. Okyere was caught after authorities arrested his associate picking up 10 Fitbit watches someone ordered through the mail using the identity of a Brewster man.

The associate, who was charged and deported to Togo, told police she was given a fraudulent temporary state license with a photo of herself, the victim’s address, a fake first name and the victim’s real last name.

After finding a separate package addressed to a Westfield resident in the woman’s rental car, inspectors reached out to that person, who told them he’d recently found about $3,300 in fraudulent charges on his credit card.