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Nicaraguan Citizen Pleads Guilty and is Sentenced for Illegally Using Social Security Number to Obtain Employment

August 17, 2022

From the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Louisiana:

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – EDGAR CRUZ-MATUTE (CRUZ-MATUTE), age 29, a citizen of Nicaragua, pled guilty and was sentenced on August 17, 2022, for illegally using a social security number to enroll in a safety class to qualify for employment, in violation of Title 42 United States Code, Section 408(a)(7)(B).

United States District Court Judge Ivan L.R. Lemelle sentenced CRUZ-MATUTE to time served and one year supervised release.

According to court documents, CRUZ-MATUTE, a citizen of Nicaragua, presented a false Social Security card when attending a pre-employment safety class at the Gulf Coast Safety Council in St. Rose, Louisiana. CRUZ-MATUTE falsely represented that a social security number was assigned to him when in fact, the social security number had been assigned by the Commissioner of Social Security to an another individual.

U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans praised the work of the United States Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Office of the Inspector General, Social Security Administration in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Julia K. Evans is in charge of the prosecution.

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