Illegal Alien Sentenced to Prison for Document Fraud

A Mexican man who used false identification documents to obtain a job was sentenced today to almost four months in federal prison.

Rogelio Lagunas-Chavez, age 32, a citizen of Mexico illegally present in the United States and living in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after a May 24, 2018, guilty plea to one count of unlawful use of identification documents.

At the guilty plea, Lagunas-Chavez admitted he used a fraudulent Social Security card and a fraudulent permanent resident card, also known as a “green card,” when he completed an employment form on March 7, 2016, at a business in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  The Social Security number and the Alien Registration number on the “green card” were issued to other persons.  Lagunas-Chavez also used the same fraudulent Social Security card and “green card” when applying for work in Cedar Rapids in March 2007.

During a one week period in May 2006, Lagunas-Chavez illegally entered the United States and was returned to Mexico by immigration officials four times.  He most recently came to the attention of immigration following his arrest in Linn County, Iowa, for operating while intoxicated (OWI) in April 2018.  That matter remains pending.

Lagunas-Chavez was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by Chief United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Lagunas-Chavez was sentenced to 119 days’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a two-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

Lagunas-Chavez 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 18-CR-38-LTS.

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