德州北区：墨西哥男子冒用已故美国婴儿身份40余年被定罪 最高面临12年监禁
Dallas——德克萨斯州北区联邦检察官 Ryan Raybould 宣布，一名来自墨西哥、在美国有大量犯罪记录的男子 Vidal Blanco-Blas 已于10月16日被定罪，罪名涉及盗用一名已故美国公民的身份并以欺诈手段取得美国护照。
2024年10月，联邦大陪审团以「在美国护照申请与使用中作虚假陈述」和「加重身份盗窃」两项罪名起诉 Blanco-Blas，62岁。案件经过三天庭审、陪审团约两小时评议后，陪审团裁定两项罪名全部成立。
庭审证据显示，Blanco-Blas 在40多年前以盗用的身份进入美国，所用身份属于已故美国公民 Julio Cesar Torres，该婴儿约三个月大时在墨西哥去世。Blanco-Blas 进入美国后，以该婴儿的身份非法取得社会安全号码、德州驾照、选民登记卡和美国护照。
检方称，Blanco-Blas 在美国有大量犯罪记录，此前曾以盗用的身份被定罪并判刑，包括共谋持有并意图分销受管制物质判84个月、持有大麻判120个月，以及持有并意图分销不超过30公斤大麻判21个月。
庭审证人作证称，Blanco-Blas 长期以 Julio Cesar Torres 自居，甚至要求女儿在公共场合称他为「叔叔」Julio Cesar Torres。这一假象一直持续到2023年4月11日，当天 Blanco-Blas 在德州 Greenville 提交了续办其以欺诈手段取得的美国护照的申请。美国国务院借助先进调查技术发现护照诈骗，并查明其真实身份。
联邦检察官 Ryan Raybould 说：「利用一名已故美国婴儿的身份潜入美国、掩盖长达数十年的犯罪与欺诈生涯，是令人震惊的行为，破坏了我国移民制度的完整性，也侵蚀了公众对国家最重要安全证件的信任。这类规模的身份欺诈危及国家安全，本办公室将积极追诉任何企图操纵我国制度或危害美国安全的人。」
外交安全局（Diplomatic Security Service）Houston 外地办公室主管 Ryan Pack 说，外交安全局特工的职责是维护美国护照等国家安全证件的纯洁性，该局将继续努力查明并起诉任何企图破坏这一全球最受信赖身份证件的人。
Blanco-Blas 最高面临12年联邦监禁，量刑定于2027年3月22日在联邦地区法官 Sam A. Lindsay 面前进行。本案由美国国务院外交安全局调查，社会安全局监察长办公室和美国国务院领事事务局国家护照中心提供协助；助理联邦检察官 Luis A. Suarez 与 Ashley Koos 负责起诉。
Northern District of Texas: Man Convicted After Using a Deceased U.S. Infant's Identity for More Than 40 Years
DALLAS — United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Ryan Raybould announced that Vidal Blanco-Blas, 62, an illegal alien from Mexico with a significant U.S. criminal history, was convicted on Oct. 16 of stealing the identity of a deceased U.S. citizen and fraudulently obtaining a U.S. passport.
In October 2024, a federal grand jury indicted Blanco-Blas for false statement in application and use of a United States passport and aggravated identity theft. After a three-day trial and approximately two hours of deliberation, a jury convicted him on both counts.
According to evidence presented at trial, Blanco-Blas entered the U.S. more than 40 years ago using the stolen identity of a deceased United States citizen, Julio Cesar Torres, an infant who passed away in Mexico at approximately 3 months old. Once in the U.S., Blanco-Blas used the infant's identity to illegally obtain a Social Security number, a State of Texas driver's license, a voter registration card and a U.S. passport.
Blanco-Blas has a significant criminal history in the U.S. He was previously convicted and sentenced to 84 months for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance, 120 months for possession of marijuana, and 21 months for possession with intent to distribute up to 30 kilograms of marijuana, under his stolen identity.
Witnesses at trial testified that Blanco-Blas held himself out to be Julio Cesar Torres, going so far as to instruct his daughter to sustain the charade that he was her "uncle," Julio Cesar Torres, when in public. The charade continued until April 11, 2023, when Blanco-Blas submitted an application to renew his fraudulently obtained United States passport in Greenville, Texas. Due to advancements in investigative techniques, the U.S. Department of State learned of the passport fraud and discovered his true identity.
"Exploiting the identity of a deceased American infant to sneak into the U.S and conceal a decades-long life of crime and fraud is an appalling act that undermines the integrity of our immigration system and erodes trust in our nation's most vital security documents," said U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould. "Identity fraud of this magnitude endangers national security, and this office will aggressively pursue anyone who seeks to manipulate our systems or compromise the security of the United States."
"Diplomatic Security Service Special Agents are tasked with preserving the sanctity of national security documents like the United States passport," said Diplomatic Security Service Houston Field Office Special Agent in Charge Ryan Pack.
Blanco-Blas faces up to 12 years in federal prison. His sentencing is set for March 22, 2027, before U.S. District Judge Sam A. Lindsay. The U.S. Department of State, Diplomatic Security Service conducted the investigation, with assistance from the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General and the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs, National Passport Center. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Luis A. Suarez and Ashley Koos from the Narcotics Section are prosecuting the case.
发布：GSM·美国（发布链接）
图片来源：图：德州 Dallas 市中心（本案由德州北区联邦检察官办公室在 Dallas 宣布，资料图）。Emmanuelope 摄，CC0，取自维基共享资源。Photo: Downtown Dallas, Texas (file photo; the case was announced in Dallas by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas). By Emmanuelope, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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