CEDAR RAPIDS – An illegal alien who used another person’s Social Security number to get a job and later tried to register a car with the fake ID was sentenced November 20, 2018, to more than six months in federal prison.
Jeremias Sanchez-Velasco, age 26, a citizen of Guatemala illegally present in the United States and residing in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after an August 23, 2018, guilty plea to one count of misuse of a social security number.
In a plea agreement, Sanchez-Velasco admitted that on October 30, 2014, he used someone else’s social security number on employment and tax documents when applying for work in Hiawatha, Iowa. He also used a fraudulent permanent resident card, also known as a “green card,” when he completed the employment forms. The Alien Registration number on the “green card” had been issued to another person.
Sanchez-Velasco came to the attention of immigration officials when he used the social security number in attempt to title a vehicle in Linn County, Iowa. Sanchez-Velasco was arrested at the Linn County Treasurer’s Office in April 2018 after a clerk discovered that the social security number did not belong to Sanchez-Velasco.
Sanchez-Velasco was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge Linda R. Reade. Sanchez-Velasco was sentenced to 195 days’ imprisonment. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Sanchez-Velasco is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be turned over to immigration officials.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel C. Tvedt and investigated by Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations, and the Iowa Department of Transportation.
