Nov. 10, 2010

ILLEGAL ALIEN PLEADS GUILTY IN THEFT OF MARINE’S IDENTITY

WICHITA – An illegal alien from Mexico using a U.S. Marine’s identity to work unlawfully in the United States has pleaded guilty to document fraud, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said today.

The alien, Inocente Monroy Alcantara, 26, entered the guilty plea here Wednesday before U.S. District Judge Eric F. Melgren, who set a sentencing date of Jan. 26. The plea calls for a one-year sentence in federal prison to be followed by mandatory deportation to Mexico. The conviction is an “aggravated felony” under U.S. immigration laws, which means the defendant is barred for life from returning to the United States once he is deported.

The case was investigated by the Arkansas City, Kan., Police Dept. after receiving a complaint from the victim and the San Diego, Calif., Police Dept., identity theft unit that someone was using the victim’s identity to work at the Creekstone Farms meat processing plant in Ark City. The victim is a Marine stationed at Miramar, Calif., who recently returned from overseas deployment.

When the Marine returned, he received calls from collection agencies about unpaid accounts opened in Kansas. The accounts had been opened by Alcantara, using the victim’s identity. The victim reported the identity theft to the San Diego Police Department, which notified Arkansas City police. The Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General assisted in investigating the case.

“It is bad enough when foreign nationals illegally in the United States steal the identities of U.S. citizens, foul their credit, and violate their good names,” U.S. Attorney Grissom said. “That the victim is a U.S. Martine serving our country overseas, it is reprehensible. Our office will continue to aggressively prosecute identity theft cases.”

The victim has asked that his name not be released. When an illegal alien uses the true identity of the U.S. citizens to obtain employment in the U.S., records checks such as E-Verify only confirm that the identity information being used is valid, not that the person using it is the person to whom the identity belongs.