Source: Office of United States Attorneys
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – ActingUnited States Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that JOSE GUADALUPE MUNOZ-PEREZ (“MUNOZ”), age 46, a native of Mexico, pleaded guilty on April 29, 2025 to illegally using a social security number to obtain a Louisiana driver’s license, in violation of Title 42, United States Code, Section 408(a)(7)(B).
MUNOZ faces a maximum term of imprisonment of five (5) years, up to three (3) years of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000.00, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00. United States District Court Judge Wendy B. Vitter set sentencing for June 5, 2025.
According to court documents, on July 24, 2020, MUNOZ applied for the renewal of a Louisiana driver’s license using the name of a real person, and that person’s Social Security number at a Public Tag Agency in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana. A Public Tag Agency is an authorized entity that handles various vehicle-related transactions of behalf of the Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles.
The Social Security Administration confirmed that Social Security number was legitimately issued to an individual in Puerto Rico. MUNOZ admitted that by applying for the renewal, he knowingly intended to deceive others, including employers, by falsely representing that the name and Social Security number had been assigned to him by the Commissioner of Social Security.
U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations and the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General, in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Jon Maestri of the General Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
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