A Mexican national living in Dayton illegally has been sentenced to prison for federal violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs.
Margarita Torres Barajas, 50, pleaded guilty to making a false statement on a passport application and aggravated identity theft. She was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Marcia Crone on March 4, 2024.
According to court information, on October 11, 2021, Barajas applied for a U.S. passport at the U.S. Post Office in Beaumont, claiming to be a citizen of the United States when she was actually a citizen of Mexico. Barajas used a social security card and Puerto Rican birth certificate she found in New York City to apply for the passport. These documents belonged to a U.S. citizen. Barajas also used these items to apply for a state identification card from another state.
The investigation was conducted by the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Department and U.S. Diplomatic Security Service, with prosecution led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Reynaldo P. Morin.
