Mexican Man Sentenced For False Claim to United States Citizenship

St. Thomas, USVI – District Court Judge Curtis V. Gomez sentenced today Edgar Ramirez, 36, a citizen of Mexico, to the time he has served in custody since March 11, 2019, and one year of supervised release, for falsely claiming United States citizenship, United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert announced. Judge Gomez also ordered Ramirez to pay a special assessment of $100.

On March 11, 2019, Ramirez pleaded guilty to falsely claiming United States citizenship to U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Cyril E. King Airport on St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. According to court documents, on December 20, 2018, Ramirez presented to officers a false Pennsylvania identification card in the name of Rodolfo Salinas. After questioning, Ramirez admitted that he was not a United States citizen but instead was born in Mexico and that he paid $2,000 to cross the border into the United States in 2001.

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kim L. Chisholm.