Non-Citizen Convicted After Posing as Native-Born American for 10 Years

LAREDO, Texas – A 35-year-old Mexican National has admitted he made false statements in an application for U.S. Passport, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick.

Rigoberto Rivera had successfully applied for a U.S. passport in 2008, identifying him as a native-born United States citizen from Texas. It expired in 2018, after which he submitted a DS-82 U.S. Passport Renewal Application for Eligible Individuals by mail.  

He used a birth certificate to support his claim of citizenship which stated a date of birth of April 5, 1984, in Laredo. However, law enforcement located a Mexican birth certificate that pre-dated this U.S. birth certificate, stating he was born in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico, on March 23, 1984.

Records further revealed that in May 2000, Rivera had applied for a visa as a Mexican citizen at the U.S. Consulate in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. He was issued a border crossing card through this application and was fingerprinted and photographed. A subsequent comparison between the fingerprints taken in 2000 and the fingerprints taken in 2018 revealed a positive match to Rivera.

Rivera was arrested April 2, 2019. He subsequently admitted he was born in Mexico and that he had previously applied for a visa as a Mexican national. He claimed he used his Mexican birth certificate in the past to attend school in Mexico at a lower cost, but that he had used his U.S. birth certificate to pose as a native-born United States citizen since 2008.

Sentencing will be set at a later date before U.S. District Judge Diana Saldana. At that time, Rivera faces up to 10 years in federal prison. Not a U.S. citizen, he is expected to face deportation proceedings following the sentence.

He has been and will remain in custody pending his sentencing hearing.

Customs and Border Protection and Department of State - Diplomatic Security Service conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Francisco J. Rodriguez is prosecuting the case.