United States Attorney's Office District of Connecticut
Press Release

CITIZEN OF GUATEMALA WHO MADE FALSE STATEMENTS WHEN APPLYING FOR U.S. PASSPORT IS SENTENCED

David B. Fein, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JEIMI LISETTE GONZALEZ-TAPERIA, 23, a citizen of Guatemala, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Robert N. Chatigny in Hartford to approximately four months of imprisonment, time served, for making false statements in an application for a United States Passport.  GONZALEZ-TAPERIA pleaded guilty to the offense on May 10, 2010.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on September 25, 2007, GONZALEZ-TAPERIA used a Connecticut driver’s license bearing her photograph and a Puerto Rican birth certificate, both in the name of another individual, in association with her submitting an application for a U.S. passport at a U.S. Post Office in Hartford.  Further investigation revealed that the home address GONZALEZ-TAPERIA provided on the passport application was not a valid address.

GONZALEZ-TAPERIA has been detained since her arrest on March 16, 2010.  She will be transferred to the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for removal proceedings.

This matter was investigated by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Diplomatic Security.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Deborah R. Slater.

CONTACT:

U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
Tom Carson
(203) 821-3722
thomas.carson@usdoj.gov