Mexican Man Sentenced for Long-Term Use of Deceased Man’s Identity and Social Security Number
From the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Nebraska:
United States Attorney Jan Sharp announced that Carlos Robleto-Martinez, 75, was sentenced today in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, for false use of a Social Security number. Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Robleto-Martinez to a term of imprisonment of time served. Robleto-Martinez had been in custody for approximately 7 months at the time of sentencing. There is no parole in the federal system. Robleto-Martinez will now be deported by U.S. immigration authorities.
In January of 2021, the State of Nebraska Department of Labor (DOL) contacted the Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles Fraud Unit (DMVFU) about a person living in Schuyler, Nebraska using the identity of a deceased person who resided in Texas.
The Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General (SSA/OIG) confirmed that the Social Security number used by the subject belonged to the decedent. Investigators interviewed Robleto-Martinez who claimed it was an error and presented a State of Texas birth certificate and a Social Security card bearing the decedent’s name and Social Security number. Investigators also obtained the defendant’s fingerprints.
DMVFU determined that Robleto-Martinez used the decedent’s name and Social Security number to renew a Nebraska Driver’s License on June 22, 2020, and on June 4, 2015.
Investigators were able to match Robleto-Martinez’s fingerprints to those from an immigration database, enabling them to determine his true identity and immigration history. According to the records they obtained, Robleto-Martinez presented himself using his true name while entering the United States through the Atlanta airport in 1998. At that time, Robleto-Martinez presented a fraudulent I-551 (Lawful Permanent Resident card) bearing the photo of another person, was denied entry into the United States, and was returned to Mexico.
This case was investigated by the Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles Fraud Unit, the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations.