Source: Office of United States Attorneys
Tampa, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces that Juan Arturo Martinez (62, Mexico) has pleaded guilty to use of passport secured by false statement and passport fraud. Martinez faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison on each count. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to court documents, Martinez is Mexican citizen and does not currently have permission to be in the United States. In 2002, Martinez submitted a U.S. passport application on which he put his place of birth as Mission, Texas. In 2012, Martinez submitted a U.S. passport renewal application on which he put his place of birth as Mission, Texas. On September 11, 2021, Martinez used the passport that he had secured by reason of a false statement to gain entry in the U.S. at the Port Canaveral Seaport. On April 12, 2022, Martinez submitted a U.S. passport renewal application and fraudulently stated that his place of birth was Mission, TX.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS). It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Karyna Valdes.