Jury Convicts Honduran National of Aggravated Identity Theft and Associated Fraud Charges

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

Tampa, FL – A federal jury has found Nidia Roxana Maradiaga-Flores (28), an illegal alien from Honduras, guilty of aggravated identity theft, false representation of a Social Security number, and making a false claim of United States citizenship for employment purposes. Maradiaga-Flores faces a maximum penalty of 12 years in federal prison. Her sentencing hearing is scheduled for April 17, 2026. U.S. Attorney Gregory Kehoe made the announcement.

According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, Archer Western-de Moya Group Joint Venture II (Joint Venture), a construction company, is enrolled in E-Verify, a web-based system through which employers electronically confirm the employment eligibility of their employees. Maradiaga-Flores is an illegal alien from Honduras with no lawful status in the United States. On March 23, 2022, Maradiaga-Flores applied for employment with the Joint Venture in Pinellas County and filled out an I-9 form for use in the E-Verify system. On that form, Maradiaga-Flores falsely identified herself as a United States citizen and used another person’s means of identification to defeat the E-Verify system. 

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Department of Transportation – Office of Inspector General, the Social Security Administration–Office of the Inspector General, the United States Border Patrol, the Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Joseph Wheeler, III, and Assistant United States Attorney Karyna Valdes.