MEXICAN WOMAN PLEADS GUILTY TO FRAUD OFFENSES

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Maria Victoria Borja-Avila, 47, of the country of Mexico, pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of Passport Fraud, Falsely Representing U.S. citizenship, and Aggravated Identity Theft. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “This defendant tried to lie, cheat, and steal her way into this country, but thanks to the diligent investigatory work of our federal partners she’ll spend time in a prison cell before being removed.  My office will continue to aggressively pursue violations of our nation’s immigration laws.”

Court documents reflect that Borja-Avila, an alien and national of Mexico, presented false information in a U.S. Passport Application to the Santa Rosa County Clerk’s Office on August 14, 2023.  She purported to be an actual U.S. citizen, and presented said U.S. citizen’s birth certificate, a fraudulent Florida driver’s license, and used said citizen’s personally identifiable information in the application.

Borja-Avila faces a mandatory two years’ incarceration on her Aggravated Identity charge concurrent to any other charge, and up to ten years’ imprisonment based on her Passport Fraud charge.  An ICE detainer has been lodged against Borja-Avila, and she will begin deportation proceedings after she serves his federal prison term.  Borja-Avila’s imprisonment could be followed by up to a 3-year term of supervised release, meaning if she returns to the United States during such timeframe, she will potentially face an additional period of incarceration related to violating his supervision.             

This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of State's Diplomatic Security Service.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer H. Callahan.

Sentencing is scheduled for October 16, 2025, at 1:00 pm at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola before United States District T. Kent Wetherell.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline ) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General.  To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.