Minnesota—A Guatemalan citizen who had been deported from the United States three times was sentenced to 84 months in prison after being found guilty of using a Minnesota man's identity for years to work legally in the country.
According to prosecutors, the man fraudulently used another
person's identity information for more than a decade, allowing him to obtain
and maintain employment under a false identity.
The investigation established that the defendant had used
the U.S. citizen's personal information to create the illusion that he had
legal authorization to work in the United States.
The defendant's immigration history was another key factor
highlighted by authorities: prior to this sentence, he had already been
deported from the United States three times. After serving his seven-year
sentence, the man could face immigration proceedings again and be deported,
according to the consequences for people who remain in or return to the country
after being deported.
The case has once again brought under scrutiny the
mechanisms used to detect identity fraud and the use of someone else's personal
information to access the U.S. job market.
Federal authorities have warned that using another person's
identity to obtain employment or evade immigration controls can result in both
criminal charges and additional immigration consequences.