Guatemalan Man Sentenced to Prison for Document Fraud

A man who used a false identification document and a fictitious social security number was sentenced today to three months in federal prison.

Jasinto Cuyuch-Brito, age 23, a citizen of Guatemala illegally present in the United States and residing in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after a guilty plea today to one count of unlawful use of an identification document and one count of misuse of a social security number.

During the guilty plea portion of the hearing, Cuyuch-Brito admitted he used a fictitious Social Security number and a fraudulent permanent resident card, also known as a “green card,” when he completed employment and tax forms in March 2018 at a business in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  On the employment application, Cuyuch-Brito claimed to be a lawful permanent resident of the United States.  However, Cuyuch-Brito was previously deported from the United States in 2015 and illegally reentered the United States without the permission of the United States government.  The Social Security account number used by Cuyuch-Brito was fictitious.  The Alien Registration number on the “green card” was issued to another person.  

Cuyuch-Brito was arrested on March 4, 2020, on the federal indictment following an investigation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement into document fraud in Cedar Rapids.  A search warrant was obtained for a Cedar Rapids apartment and executed on March 4, 2020, to look for evidence related to document and Social Security.  Officers attempted to enter the apartment with a key but a resident pushed the door closed and locked the deadbolt.  After officers gained entrance, a resident of the apartment told the officers where Cuyuch-Brito could be found in Marion, Iowa.  Officers located Cuyuch-Brito at the residence in Marion where he briefly resisted arrest.

Cuyuch-Brito was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams.  Cuyuch-Brito was sentenced to 91 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.

Cuyuch-Brito 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 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 20-CR-20.

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