Thread: Mexican sentenced for making false claim to US citizenship

I.C.E. News Releases


DOCUMENT AND BENEFIT FRAUD

11/03/2016

Mexican national sentenced for making false claim to US citizenship

TAMPA, Fla. – A Mexican national unlawfully present in the United States was sentenced Wednesday to three years in federal prison for making material false representations to an agency of the U.S., making false statements as to his citizenship and aggravated identity theft. This case was handled by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).

“Identity theft can have great consequences to our national security,” said Marc J. Moore, ERO Miami field office director.

“This case highlights this is a serious crime and it will remain a priority for ICE.”

According to court documents, Jose Avianeda-Espinoza, 44, a citizen of Mexico, fraudulently used a U.S. citizen’s identity for nearly 17 years to obtain a number of government identifications and to avoid deportation.

In December 2015, he gave a false name to ERO deportation officers and falsely claimed to be a U.S. citizen. He subsequently recanted his claim and admitted to being a citizen of Mexico who was illegally present in the U.S.
On Jan. 4, Avianeda appeared before a federal immigration judge and reasserted his false claim to U.S. citizenship by providing a false name to the court and relying on a stolen birth certificate from Puerto Rico. He subsequently repeated his false claim to immigration officers. In March 2016,

Avianeda again appeared before an immigration judge and again falsely identified himself to the court. He pleaded guilty to the charges Aug. 3.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kaitlin R. O’Donnell, with the office of U.S. Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III, Middle District Florida.

https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/me...us-citizenship

by JOHN BINDER
4 Nov 2016
Tampa, FL

An illegal immigrant living in Florida will be doing time in federal prison after he was convicted of identity theft for 17 years.

Jose Avianeda-Espinoza, a 44-year-old illegal immigrant from Mexico, was sentenced to three years in prison for his use of a stolen identity in order to avoid deportation, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced in a news release.

Espinoza used a U.S. citizen’s stolen identity so he could also obtain a number of government identifications, according to ICE.

Back in December 2015, the illegal immigrant used a false name and gave it to ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) deportation agents. Afterwards, Espinoza admitted to ERO agents that he was in fact in the country illegally from Mexico.

In January 2016, Espinoza told a federal immigration judge that he was a U.S. citizen, using another stolen identity with a Puerto Rican birth certificate.

Espinoza used a stolen identity again in March 2016, telling an immigration judge that he was a U.S. citizen.

“Identity theft can have great consequences to our national security,” Marc J. Moore, ERO Miami field office director said in a news release. “This case highlights this is a serious crime and it will remain a priority for ICE.”

Espinoza was similarly convicted for providing a stolen identity to a U.S. government agency and for repeatedly making false claims of citizenship.

http://www.breitbart.com/texas/2016/...ions-id-theft/