Six Illegal Aliens Guilty in Federal Court of Social Security Number Fraud

Columbia, South Carolina –------- United States Attorney Sherri A. Lydon announced today that six individuals, illegally in the United States, entered pleas of guilty before District Judge Donald C. Coggins, Jr., in Spartanburg, South Carolina.  The names of the Defendants are as follows:

From Honduras:

Luis Alberto Isaguirre-Cortes

Jose Santos Martinez      

Noe De La Cruz Galvez-Munguia

From Guatemala:

Fredin Orlando Cordon-Gonzalez

Julio Cesar Rojas Vasquez

Josue Eduardo Maas-Aparicio

Each Defendant entered a plea of guilty to one count of using a false Social Security number in order to acquire health insurance in violation of Title 42, United States Code, Section 408.  Sentencing will occur after the preparation of a Presentence Report by the United States Probation Office.  Each Defendant faces a possible sentence of up to five (5) years in prison.

At the guilty plea hearing Assistant United States Attorney David C. Stephens advised the Court that in the course of a wide ranging investigation the personnel records of the Defendants’ employer were reviewed.  During this review it was discovered that the six were working under false Social Security numbers and that using these numbers each had applied for and received health insurance. Stephens declined to go further in to details of the referenced investigation. Stephens further advised the Court that each of the six Defendants were cooperating with the Government concerning their employment and their use of false Social Security numbers.

USA Lydon stated that the case had been investigated by agents from the Department of Labor, Department of Transportation, and ICE-Homeland Security Investigations and she commended all of them for their hard work and close cooperation and support for each other.

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