U.S. Citizen Pleads Guilty To Passport And Citizenship Fraud

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announces that Jose Alberto Hernandez (45, Tampa) has pleaded guilty to making a false statement in an application for a U.S. Passport and to making a false statement in connection with an application for U.S. citizenship. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to court documents, Hernandez is a Dominican national who illegally entered the United States through the Mexican border on or about January 21, 1999. On February 14, 2001, he married an American citizen living in Tampa. On December 12, 2007, Hernandez appeared at the Tampa U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office for an interview in connection with his petition to remove conditions of his residency. Later that month, he went to a U.S. Postal facility in Tampa and applied for a U.S. Passport under the identity of Jose Angel Santos Figueroa. As proof of his citizenship, Hernandez presented a Puerto Rico birth certificate and Florida driver license, all belonging to Jose Angel Santos Figueroa. On January 8, 2008, Hernandez was granted a U.S. Passport under the name Jose Santos Figueroa.  

On December 12, 2008, Hernandez submitted an application for U.S. citizenship under his own identity that contained several false statements. On October 28, 2009, he became a naturalized citizen of the United States. As a result of this conviction, he now faces denaturalization and the mandatory revocation of his citizenship.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Department of State, Diplomatic Security Services. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Diego F. Novaes.