Colombian National Pleads Guilty To False Claim Of Citizenship And Aggravated Identity Theft

From the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Middle District of Florida

Orlando, FL - United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Oscar Eduardo Sanchez Gamboa (54, Kissimmee) has pleaded guilty to making a false claim of citizenship to obtain a state benefit and aggravated identity theft. Gamboa faces up to of five years’ imprisonment for making the false claim, and a consecutive minimum mandatory sentence of two years in federal prison for the aggravated identity theft. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to court documents, the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General (OIG–SSA) investigated the use of a Social Security number (SSN) in several loan applications to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program. The OIG-SSA provided agents from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) with copies of the loan applications. CBP officers then conducted a review of the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicle Records (DHSMV) for the SSN and the name used in the loan applications. The DHSMV records revealed that Gamboa had used the name, date of birth, and SSN of another person, who is a U.S. citizen, to apply for and obtain on separate occasions a Florida driver license and a Florida commercial driver license matching the person OIG-SSA had submitted to CBP. In order for Gamboa to receive these licenses, he affirmed under penalty of perjury that he was a citizen of the United States. A review of U.S. Department of State records and Department of Homeland Security databases by CBP confirmed that Gamboa was born in Colombia, is a citizen of Colombia, and is not a United States citizen.

This case was investigated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Terry B. Livanos.