Skip to main content
Press Release

Document Fraud Leads to Federal Prison for Illegal Alien

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Iowa
Used Another’s Social Security Number to Get Work and Register a Car

A Guatemalan man who unlawfully used fraudulent identification documents was sentenced June 18, 2018, to more than three months in federal prison.

Francisco Rivera-Cobo, age 20, a citizen of Guatemala illegally present in the United States and residing in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after an April 25, 2018 guilty plea to one count of unlawful use of identification documents.

In a plea agreement, Rivera-Cobo, an illegal alien, admitted that on September 11, 2016, he used a fraudulent social security card and a fraudulent Green Card when completing employment forms to get a job.  The social security account number and the Green Card number belonged to other people.  Rivera-Cobo also used the same fraudulent Green Card when applying for work in Cedar Rapids in May 2016.  Rivera-Cobo was arrested on February 27, 2018, by immigration agents after they learned he had registered a car using another person’s social security number.

Rivera-Cobo was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge Linda R. Reade.  Rivera-Cobo was sentenced to 98 days’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.  Rivera-Cobo is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be turned over to immigration officials. 

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel C. Tvedt and investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations. 

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl

The case file number is 18-CR-12-LRR.  Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.

Updated June 19, 2018

Topic
Immigration