Mexico man sentenced to 18 months for 30-year identity theft scheme following HSI San Diego, Social Security investigation

SAN DIEGO — A federal judge sentenced a Tijuana man on Sept. 25 to 18 months in prison for misusing the identity of an American citizen for over 30 years, obtaining identification documents and thousands of dollars in government benefits. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General investigated the case.

Abel Alonso Valdez-Vazquez, 59, of Tijuana, Mexico, was also ordered to pay $81,185.35 in restitution to the Social Security Administration.

Authorities originally arrested Valdez-Vazquez on Aug. 5, 2022, after driving a vehicle hiding three undocumented noncitizens into the United States through the Otay Mesa Port of Entry. Valdez-Vazquez was charged under the identity of G.P., a U.S. citizen, and pleaded guilty on Jan. 19.

Investigators learned that a second man claiming to be G.P. had complained that someone had stolen and used his identity for decades. Investigators confirmed the true G.P.’s identity after verifying it with family members and birth records. Ultimately, investigators discovered that Abel Alonso Valdez-Vazquez was the culprit and confirmed his status as a Mexican citizen without legal status in the United States.

Authorities determined that Valdez-Vazquez used G.P.’s identity since at least December 1992, when he was first arrested and later convicted under G.P.’s identity.

In his second plea agreement on June 30, Alonso Valdez-Vazquez admitted that from 2007 through 2017, and from 2019 through December 2021, he received Supplemental Security Income from the Social Security Administration under G.P.’s identity. He admitted that as a Mexican citizen without legal status in the United States, he was never eligible to receive any government benefits, and that all income paid to him was therefore money stolen from the United States. Valdez-Vazquez also admitted fraudulently applying for and receiving a California driver’s license under G.P.’s identity and using it to apply for entry into the United States on Aug. 5, 2022, when he was arrested at the border.

“Mr. Valdez-Vazquez knowingly committed identity theft, receiving Supplemental Security Income that he was not legally eligible for, which is a federal crime,” said Inspector General Gail S. Ennis of the Social Security Administration. “This sentence holds him accountable for his deceitful actions. I thank the U.S. attorney’s office for prosecuting this case.”

“The defendant pulled off this fraudulent charade for more than 30 years, and he had many victims — from the man whose identity was stolen, to the courts, state and federal government, and the Social Security Administration,” said acting U.S. Attorney Andrew R. Haden. “We hope this prosecution sends a message to those who commit fraud and identity theft: No matter how long it takes, you will be found out, and there will be consequences for your crimes.”

These cases were prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward Chang and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey D. Hill.

HSI is 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 more than 8,700 employees consists of more than 6,000 special agents assigned to 237 cities throughout the United States, and 93 overseas locations in 56 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’ largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.