Guatemalan National Pleads Guilty to Aggravated Identity Theft of Minnesota Man
U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Missouri
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Guatemalan man residing in St. Joseph, Mo., pleaded guilty in federal court today for fraudulently using a Minnesota man’s identity for over a decade to work legally in the United States.
Romeo Perez-Bravo, 43, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays, to one count of aggravated identity theft and one count of illegal re-entry by an alien previously convicted of a felony.
According to the plea agreement, Perez-Bravo began using the victim’s name and social security number to obtain employment at several businesses in St. Joseph, Missouri beginning as early as 2009 up to his indictment in March 2025. The victim discovered the identity theft when he began receiving tax bills from the Internal Revenue Service for unpaid income taxes assigned to his social security number. Perez-Bravo also used the victim’s identity to obtain several Missouri issued identification cards.
Perez-Bravo is a citizen of Guatemala and does not have permission to enter, remain, or work in the United States legally. Records indicate he has been deported three separate times, with at least one deportation occurring after he was convicted of a felony.
Under federal statutes, Perez-Bravo faces a mandatory two years in federal prison for the offense of aggravated identity theft. He faces up to 10 years in federal prison for the offense of illegal re-entry by an alien previously convicted of a felony. According to federal statute, these prison terms must be served consecutively. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda K. Hanson. It was investigated by Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General; Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations; the St. Joseph Mo. Police Department; and the Olivia Mn. Police Department.
Operation Take Back America
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.