Illegal Alien Who Stole Identity for Employment in the U.S. Sentenced to Federal Prison

A man from Mexico who re-entered the United States illegally and stole another’s identity for purposes of employment was sentenced January 27, 2021 to two years in federal prison.

Heriberto Arellano-Almontes, age 57, from Mexico, received the prison term after a July 22, 2020, guilty plea to aggravated identity theft.

In a plea agreement, Arellano-Almontes admitted that he is an alien citizen of Mexico.  Arellano-Almontes was previously removed from the United States to Mexico on or about May 5, 2004. On August 17, 2019, Arellano-Almontes was arrested by law enforcement in Crawford County, Iowa, for Operating a Motor Vehicle While Intoxicated.  Arellano-Almontes was found to be employed at Midwest Industries, Inc., in Ida Grove, Iowa, utilizing another’s identity where he filed an I-9 Employment Eligibility Form and W-4 Tax Withholding Form with Midwest Industries on April 11, 2016.  He also presented a State of Missouri Identification Card and a social security card under the same identity. 

On October 2, 2019, Arellano-Almontes was found illegally residing in Crawford County, Iowa.  Arellano-Almontes also has a prior felony conviction for possession of methamphetamine from 2003 out of the District Court for Colfax County, Nebraska.

Arellano-Almontes was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand.  He was sentenced to 24 months’ imprisonment.  He also serve a one-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

Arellano-Almontes 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 Kevin Fletcher and Ron Timmons, and investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

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

The case file number is 20-4021.

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