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

United States District Court Judge Ivan L.R. Lemelle sentenced LIRA-RIVERA to time served (4 months of imprisonment), followed by 3 years of supervised release, 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, prior to August 14, 2019, LIRA-RIVERA submitted a fraudulent Form I-9 application in order to obtain employment with a construction company. He attested on the form that he was someone else. He used a fraudulent Social Security card in the name of the other person which also contained that person’s actual Social Security number as verification. In order to finalize employment with that company, he was required to take a safety course at another location on August 14, 2019. He once again provided the fraudulent Social Security card as proof of his identity, but an employee suspected the card was fraudulent and alerted Customs and Border Protection. Subsequent record checks confirmed his real identity.

U.S. Attorney Strasser praised the work of United States Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, and Social Security Administration agents in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Jon Maestri is in charge of the prosecution.

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