Mexican Man Sentenced to Prison for Document Fraud

A Mexican man who used false identification documents to obtain a job was sentenced August 21, 2018, to almost four months in federal prison.

Jose de Jesus Becerra-Lopez, age 24, a citizen of Mexico illegally present in the United States and living in Dyersville, Iowa, received the prison term after a June 4, 2018, guilty plea to one count of unlawful use of identification documents. 

At the guilty plea, Becerra-Lopez 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 January 3, 2018, at a business in Cascade, Iowa.  The Social Security number was invalid and the Alien Registration number on the “green card” was issued to another person. 

Becerra-Lopez was previously deported from the United States to Mexico in 2012.  He illegally reentered the United States without the permission of the United States government.  On February 4, 2018, Becerra-Lopez was found by immigration agents following a roll-over vehicle accident in Muscatine County.

Becerra-Lopez was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by Chief United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Becerra-Lopez was sentenced to 118 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.

Becerra-Lopez 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-1013-LTS.

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