Guatemalan Man Sentenced for Causing Misuse of a Social Security Number

 Hattiesburg, Miss. - A Guatemalan national was sentenced to “time served” (effectively 9 months in prison), for the federal crime of causing misuse of a social security number, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca of the Southern District of Mississippi, and Jack Staton, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New Orleans.

Angel Perez-Valezquez, 19, was also sentenced to three years of supervised release and may face Department of Homeland Security removal proceedings.  Perez-Valezquez was convicted after pleading guilty on March 31, 2021.   

On August 25, 2020, the Department of Homeland Security, Border Enforcement Security Task Force in Gulfport, received information from the Hattiesburg Police regarding the arrest of Perez-Valezqez who had been working at the Mar-Jac Poultry Plant, under an assumed identity.  Hattiesburg Police had been contacted by a victim living in another state who reported an Internal Revenue Service W-2 Form for 2019, in the victim’s name from Mar-Jac Poultry.  The victim said he had never been to Hattiesburg and had never worked for Mar-Jac Poultry.  

Homeland Security Investigations agents determined that Perez-Valezquez worked at Mar-Jac Poultry under the victim’s name.  Perez-Valezquez wore and displayed an employee ID card bearing his photograph and the victim’s name.  He knew that the card had been falsely made and that his wages were paid using his false identity.  He also knew that the name and Social Security Number he used were key parts of the identity information, and that deductions from his wages were made each pay period for taxes and Social Security using the false identity.  Each time Perez-Valezquez was paid, he caused his employer, Mar-Jac Poultry, to report false information to the Social Security Administration, using the victim’s name and Social Security Number. 

Acting U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca praised the investigative work and coordination of Homeland Security Investigations and the Hattiesburg Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Stan Harris was the prosecutor for the case.