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Guatemalan woman working in Iowa sent to prison for lying about being American citizen

CEDAR RAPIDS – A woman who had been deported, illegally returned to the United States, and then used someone else’s social security number to obtain employment was sentenced today to almost four months in federal prison.

Maria Julia Diaz-Ventura, age 34, a citizen of Guatemala illegally present in the United States and residing in Cedar Falls, Iowa, received the prison term after a May 26, 2022 guilty plea to one count of unlawful use of an identification document and one count of illegal reentry into the United States.

In a plea agreement, Diaz-Ventura admitted she had previously been deported from the United States and that she illegally reentered the United States without the permission of the United States government. Diaz-Ventura was deported in December 2017. Diaz-Ventura also admitted she used a fraudulent Social Security card bearing someone else’s name and Social Security number when she completed employment and tax forms in May 2018 at a business in Waterloo, Iowa. She also completed employment and tax forms businesses using the fraudulent Social Security card in New Hampton in February 2021, in Lime Springs in April 2021, and in Cedar Falls in August 2021. On each employment application, Diaz-Ventura falsely claimed to be a citizen of the United States. On April 13, 2022, Diaz-Ventura was found and arrested by immigration agents at the business in Cedar Falls where Diaz-Ventura was employed.

Diaz-Ventura was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams. Diaz-Ventura was sentenced to 113 days’ imprisonment. She must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

Diaz-Ventura is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until she 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.

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