Ecuadorian national pleads guilty to making a false claim regarding citizenship, sentenced to six months in prison

BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Luis Mauafrewiny Aviles Matias, a/k/a Leiver Artur Ponce Leon, a/k/a Juan Perez Chavez, 57, a citizen of Ecuador, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr. to making a false claim of United States citizenship. Judge Sinatra then sentenced Matias to serve six months in prison.

Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. Rudroff, who handled the case, stated that on November 12, 2024, Matias was a passenger in a vehicle attempting to enter the United States at the Peace Bridge Port of Entry. He presented a fraudulent Puerto Rican driver’s license as identification. When asked if he was a United States citizen, Matias nodded in the affirmative. Matias is a citizen and national of Ecuador.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

The plea and sentencing are the result of an investigation by Customs and Border Protection, under the direction of Director of Field Operations Rose Brophy.