Mexican national indicted for aggravated identity theft and making a false claim of U.S. citizenship

A Mexican national was indicted on charges of aggravated identity theft and making a false claim of United States citizenship.

Javier Sanchez-Cruz, 38, knowingly and willfully claimed and represented himself to be a United States citizen when, in fact, he was a citizen of Mexico. In the course of committing this crime, he possessed and used the identity of a United States citizen, according to the indictment.

Sanchez-Cruz lived in New Philadelphia using the identity of a resident of Puerto Rico, according to court documents

If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after a review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violations.  In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and, in most cases, it will be less than the maximum.

The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement/Department of Homeland Security. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Damoun Delaviz.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.