Mexican Citizen Sentenced to Over Two Years in Prison for Identity Theft

A woman who stole the identity of a United States citizen was sentenced Friday to more than two years in federal prison.

Elida Yepez-Alvarez, age 32, a Mexican citizen illegally residing in Marshalltown, Iowa, received the prison term after a June 23, 2016, guilty plea to one count of misuse of a Social Security Number and one count of aggravated identity theft.

The evidence showed that Yepez-Alvarez was convicted in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa in 2006 of illegally using the name and Social Security Number of a United States citizen to obtain employment in Marshalltown.  In September 2008, an immigration court ordered Yepez-Alvarez to depart the United States by January 7, 2009, but she failed to leave the country as ordered.  On November 3, 2014, Yepez-Alvarez illegally used the name and Social Security Number of a different United States citizen to obtain employment in Tama.  On May 17, 2016, Yepez-Alvarez was arrested by immigration agents in Marshalltown.  At that time, Yepez-Alvarez turned over to agents a Social Security card, a Missouri identification card bearing her photo, and a birth certificate all in the name of the U.S. citizen whose identity she knowingly used.

Yepez-Alvarez was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge Linda R. Reade.  Yepez-Alvarez was sentenced to 28 months imprisonment.  She must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

Yepez-Alvarez is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until she 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, 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 16-CR-37.

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