I.C.E. News Release

November 17, 2010
Orlando, FL

Convicted criminal alien sentenced to more than 3 years in federal prison for identity theft, illegal re-entry after deportation, related crimes

ORLANDO, Fla. - Geraldo Antonio Cedeno-Reyes, 36, a citizen and national of the Dominican Republic, was sentenced Wednesday to 39 months in federal prison for false impersonation of a U.S. citizen, falsely representing a social security number, aggravated identity theft, and illegal re-entry after deportation.

Cedeno-Reyes had pled guilty to the charges on Aug. 31, following an investigation by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the United States Marshals Service, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Social Security Administration.

He was sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge G. Kendall Sharp in Orlando.

According to court documents, Cedeno-Reyes was deported back to the Dominican Republic in 1998 after being convicted of attempted sale of cocaine.

He returned to the United States unlawfully and then used the identity of a U.S. citizen to get a driver's license, obtain credit, work in the United States and avoid detection from federal and state authorities for over a decade.

From approximately March 2002 until October 2009, on 11 separate occasions, Cedeno-Reyes obtained identification cards and driver's licenses from the State of Florida using the assumed U.S. citizen's identity by submitting a Puerto Rican birth certificate and social security card that he had allegedly purchased from a former co-worker.

This case was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie E. Gorman.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security.

ICE is a 21st century law enforcement agency with broad responsibilities for a number of key homeland security priorities. For more information, visit www.ICE.gov . To report suspicious activity, call 1-866-347-2423.

U.S. Dept of Homeland Security

http://www.ice.gov/news/releases/1011/101117orlando.htm