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Press Release

Guatemalan Man Sentenced for Illegally Using Social Security Number to Obtain Employment

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Louisiana

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Peter G. Strasser announced that WILMER A. GARCIA-LOPEZ, age 22, a native of Guatemala, was sentenced September 5, 2019 after previously pleading guilty to illegally using a Social Security number in order to obtain employment, in violation of Title 42, United States Code, Section 408(a)(7)(B).

United States District Court Judge Eldon E. Fallon sentenced GARCIA-LOPEZ to time served and a $100 special assessment fee. The defendant will be surrendered to the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement for removal proceedings.

According to court documents, on June 14, 2019, GARCIA-LOPEZ submitted a fraudulent Form I-9 application in order to obtain employment with a local company. He used a fraudulent Social Security card containing the Social Security number of a real United States citizen as verification. Subsequent record checks confirmed that GARCIA-LOPEZ was in the United States illegally and photographic evidence proved that GARCIA-LOPEZ and the victim were different people. 

U.S. Attorney Strasser praised the work of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement Removal Operations agents in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Jon Maestri is in charge of the prosecution.

 

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Updated September 6, 2019
Topic
Identity Theft
Component
USAO - Louisiana, Eastern

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