Mexican Woman Accused of Pretending to Be U.S. Citizen and Working for Nearly 30 Years at Military Contractor
· Telemundo McAllen (KTLM)
A Mexican immigrant living in Los Angeles allegedly lied for 30 years about her legal status in the United States to secure a job with a U.S. military contractor, according to the Department of Justice. Alma Patricia Contreras Villafana, 54, is accused of falsely claiming to be a U.S. citizen and now faces five charges: five counts of wire fraud, one count of using a false and forged naturalization certificate, one count of aggravated identity theft, and one count of false statement of U.S. citizenship. How was she discovered? According to the formal indictment filed Wednesday by a federal grand jury, Villafana obtained a job in December 1996 at a Torrance-based company identified in court documents as 'Company-2' by stating on the I-9 form that she was a U.S. citizen. 'In reality, Villafana is an undocumented immigrant from Mexico who was ordered deported from the United States by an immigration judge in 2003,' the Department of Justice statement reads. However, in January of this year, the accused resubmitted the I-9 form and once again 'falsely claimed to be a U.S. citizen to maintain her employment' at 'Company 1.' To secure her job, Contreras Villafana presented a naturalization certificate belonging to another person, according to authorities. If convicted, Villafana faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison for each count of wire fraud, a maximum of 10 years in federal prison for using a false and forged naturalization certificate, up to three years in federal prison for falsely claiming U.S. citizenship, and a mandatory consecutive two-year prison sentence for aggravated identity theft.
AI summary · Source: Telemundo McAllen (KTLM) →
