Guatemalan Man Who Possessed a Fraudulent Social Security Card Sentenced to Prison

A Guatemalan man who possessed a false identification document in the name of a U.S. Citizen was sentenced today to more than one year in federal prison.

Andres Tzunux-Ordonez, age 22, a citizen of Guatemala illegally present in the United States and living in Postville, Iowa, received the prison term after a June 27, 2019, guilty plea to one count of unlawful possession of an identification document.

In a plea agreement, Tzunux-Ordonez admitted that in February 2013, using the name of a U.S. citizen, he used a fraudulent social security card and a State of Missouri identification card bearing his photograph when completing paperwork to obtain employment in Postville, Iowa.  Tzunux-Ordonez also used the social security number on the card when applying for insurance in December 2017.  The social security number belonged to the U.S. citizen whose name Tzunux-Ordonez used to work. 

On March 11, 2019, defendant was arrested at his place of work and admitted that he knowingly used the identity of a U.S. citizen to work in Iowa.  Tzunux-Ordonez turned over to immigration officials a Texas birth certificate and the social security card and State of Missouri identification card he used to obtain work in Postville.

Tzunux-Ordonez was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams.  Tzunux-Ordonez was sentenced to one year and one day imprisonment.  He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

Tzunux-Ordonez is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel C. Tvedt and investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations. 

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

The case file number is 19-CR-1008.

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