Colombian man convicted of false citizenship claims and identity theft
ORLANDO, Fla. – A Colombian man was found guilty by a federal jury Wednesday of making false claims to U.S. citizenship and aggravated identity theft. This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Cocoa Beach office, with assistance from HSI offices in Orlando, Bogota, Colombia and San Juan and Mayaguez, Puerto Rico.
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, Jaime Tovar-Montoya, aka Jimmy Diaz Tovar, 57, of Colombia, South America, applied for and received a Florida identification card in 2010, claiming that he was a U.S. citizen and using the name and birth certificate of a resident of Puerto Rico. Later that year, he used the identification card as proof of identity to apply for a U.S. passport, again claiming to be a citizen of the U.S., and using the same name, birth date, and Social Security number of the Puerto Rico resident.
“Identity theft is a crime that represents a very real threat to our public safety and the security of our nation,” said Susan L. McCormick, special agent in charge of HSI Tampa. “This conviction ensures this criminal cannot illegally board an aircraft, claim a government benefit or remain in the shadows undetected.”
Under federal law, a person who uses a means of identification of another person without lawful authority in order to commit another felony offense is guilty of aggravated identity theft, which carries a mandatory two-year sentence, in addition to any other sentence received. Having been convicted and adjudicated guilty of two counts of aggravated identity theft, Tovar-Montoya currently faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. His sentencing is scheduled for July 21.
Additional investigative support was provided by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Orlando office, the HSI Orlando Identity and Benefit Fraud Task Force and the Diplomatic Security Service office in Miami.
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