LAWRENCE MAN SENTENCED FOR MAKING FALSE STATEMENTS IN AN APPLICATION FOR U.S. PASSPORT
Boston, MA... A Lawrence man was sentenced late yesterday in federal court for making false statements in an application for a United States passport.
United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz and James P. Ennis, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, announced that ELVIN SANTIAGO, a/k/a FELIPE BATISTA, a/k/a EDWARD SANTIAGO, EDWIN SANTOS FIGUEROA, age 39, formerly of Lawrence, MA, was sentenced before U.S. District Judge Patti B. Saris to time served (72 days) to be followed by 3 years of supervised release.
At the earlier plea hearing, the prosecutor told the Court that, had the case proceeded to trial, the evidence would have proven that on February 22, 2007, SANTIAGO presented an application for a United States passport (known as a “DSP-11") at the United States Post Office in Lawrence, MA, using a false name and false personal identifiers. In the application, SANTIAGO falsely identified himself as Edwin Santos and provided a false date of birth, a false social security number and falsely claimed that he was born in Toa Alta, Puerto Rico.
As required, SANTIAGO’s application included two photographs of himself. As proof of U.S. citizenship, SANTIAGO presented a Puerto Rican Birth Certificate from the Puerto Rico Department of Health’s Demographic Registry, in the name of “Edwin Santos Figueroa.” SANTIAGO also presented a Massachusetts Identification Card, which included his photograph, in the name of “Edwin Santos Figueroa” and a Social Security Card, in the name of “Edwin Santos Figueroa.” SANTIAGO signed the DSP-11 application under the penalty of perjury and swore to the veracity of the information contained in the application in the presence of a Passport Acceptance Clerk at the Lawrence, MA, Post Office.
The person whose identity SANTIAGO used, was located by law enforcement and interviewed by Diplomatic Security Service agents in Puerto Rico. The individual was able to provide the agents with documentation confirming his own identity.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security Service. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Antoinette E.M. Leoney in Ortiz’s Major Crimes Unit.
