WASHINGTON (CMC) – The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) says a Dominican Republic national has been jailed for 61 months for his “leading role in trafficking the identities and corresponding identity documents of Puerto Rican US citizens”.
Wilfredo Blanco-Diaz, 40, who lived in Caguas, Puerto Rico, will also serve three years of supervised release.
US District Judge Gustavo A Gelpí in the District of Puerto Rico also ordered Blanco-Diaz to forfeit US$422,793 in proceeds and be deported to the Dominican Republic on completion of his sentence.
On September 24, 2013, Blanco-Diaz pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit identification fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit human smuggling for financial gain and one count of aggravated identity theft.
The DOJ said, to date, 53 individuals have been charged for their roles in the identity trafficking scheme. All 49 arrested defendants have pleaded guilty and 42 defendants have been sentenced.
According to the DOJ, Blanco-Diaz was a “supplier of Puerto Rican identity documents who operated in Caguas and provided Puerto Rican identities to brokers in Florida, Nebraska, North Carolina, and Virginia, knowing that the identities would be sold to undocumented aliens who would then pose as US citizens”.
Blanco-Diaz admitted that he was a manager and supervisor in the conspiracy.
