Press Release
Utah Man Indicted for False Statement in Passport Application and False Use of a Social Security Number
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Idaho
BOISE - Jesus Ricardo Espinoza-Suarez, 43, of Layton, Utah, made an initial appearance yesterday on charges of false claim to United States citizenship, false statement in an application for passport, and false use of a social security number, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. Espinoza-Suarez was indicted on March 8, 2016, by a federal grand jury in Boise.
The indictment alleges that Espinoza-Suarez used a name, social security number, and date of birth which were not his own in a passport application in March 2009. The indictment further alleges that in 2014, Espinoza-Suarez falsely claimed he was a United States citizen in an application for an Idaho State driver’s license and falsely represented a social security number to be his own on an I-9 application for employment.
The charge of false claim to United States citizenship is punishable by up to five years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release. The charge of false statement in application for passport is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release. The charge of false use of a social security number is punishable by up to five years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release.
A trial is set for May 17, 2016, before Senior U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge at the federal courthouse in Boise.
The case is being investigated by U.S. Department of State, Diplomatic Security Service and U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. The case is being prosecuted by a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney as part of a partnership venture between the Social Security Administration Office of General Counsel and the United States Attorney’s Office to prosecute social security misuse and fraud.
An indictment is a means of charging a person with criminal activity. It is not evidence. The person is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Updated March 16, 2016
Topic
StopFraud
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