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Press Release

Salvadoran National Guilty of making False Statement in Passport Application

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

BEAUMONT, Texas –A 57-year-old Salvadoran national has pleaded guilty to federal violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Joseph D. Brown today.

Mario Obdulio Orellana, a resident of Shelby County, Texas, pleaded guilty on Sep. 19, 2018, to making a false statement in application for passport before U.S. Magistrate Judge Zack Hawthorn.

According to information presented in court, on Oct. 6, 2017, Orellana made a false statement in an application for a United States passport by claiming to be a United States citizen.    

                Under the federal statute, Orellana faces up to 10 years in federal prison at sentencing.  The maximum statutory sentence prescribed by Congress is provided here for information purposes, as the sentencing will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.  A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office.

This case is being investigated by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Diplomatic Security and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Gaston.

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Updated September 20, 2018