HSI investigation leads to prison sentence for Mexican citizen for identity theft

OMAHA, Neb. - A Mexican citizen was sentenced to eight months in prison for two counts of making a false claim of citizenship and two counts of making a false representation of a social security number.

The acting U.S. Attorney for Nebraska made the announcement on April 28.

This case came to the attention of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) after a victim (Victim 1) contacted their tip line to report that she was the victim of identity theft. Victim 1 became aware that her identity had been stolen while filing her taxes and after being contacted by her college informing her that she was in jeopardy of losing her financial aid due to the income being earned in her name in Nebraska.

In October 2017, Griselda Genchi-Garcia, 27, a citizen of Mexico, applied for asylum to the United States from Mexico via the San Ysidro Port of Entry, California. She was given a notice to appear and informed she was a noncitizen and not a citizen or national of the United States. Genchi-Garcia was not in possession of a valid unexpired immigrant visa, reentry permit, border crossing card, or other valid entry document. Immigration proceedings were initiated, and Genchi-Garcia was released on parole due to humanitarian concerns, pending interview with an asylum officer.

In November 2017, Genchi-Garcia applied for employment at Glenn Valley Foods in Omaha, Nebraska, where she provided Victim 1’s name, date of birth and social security number. Genchi-Garcia also provided a Minnesota driver's license with Victim l's name and date of birth and a social security card with Victim l's social security number. She filled out an I-9 form with the above information and documentation and indicated on the I-9 that she was a U.S. citizen.

In August 2018, Genchi-Garcia applied for employment at Job Source USA using Victim l's name, date of birth, and social security number. Genchi-Garcia also provided a Kansas driver's license with Victim l's name and date of birth and a social security card with Victim l's social security number.

After her release from prison, Genchi-Garcia will serve a two-year term of supervised release.

If you believe that you have been a victim of identity theft, you can contact the HSI hotline at 1-866-347-2423, or go to www.identitytheft.gov.

HSI is a directorate of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel, and finance move. HSI’s workforce of over 10,400 employees consists of more than 7,100 special agents assigned to 220 cities throughout the United States, and 80 overseas locations in 53 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.