ALBANY, NEW YORK - WALTER ELICER LUNA CAYSEDA, 49, of Bronx, New York, pled guilty yesterday in Plattsburgh, New York, to making a false statement and aggravated identity theft before United States District Court Judge David N. Hurd announced United States Attorney Richard S. Hartunian, and U.S. Customs Director of Field Operations, Randy Howe, Buffalo, New York. On the false statement count, LUNA CAYSEDA faces up to five years in prison, supervised release of up to 3 years, and a fine of up to $250,000. He faces an additional consecutive sentence of at least two years on the aggravated identity theft count. Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 20, 2015 in Utica, New York.
“Given our on-going concerns for security on our borders, it is critically important we know the people entering and leaving our country are, indeed, who they say they are," stated U.S. Attorney Hartunian. “I commend the Department of Homeland Security and the border agents for their continued vigilance."
As part of his guilty plea, LUNA CAYSEDA admitted that on Aug. 26, 2014, during an immigration inspection at the Champlain Port of Entry, he gave a false name and stated that he was a United States Citizen born in Puerto Rico when he was actually a citizen of Columbia who had been removed from the United States in 1997. LUNA CAYSEDA also admitted that he used a New York State Driver’s license bearing his picture and the true biographical information of the person he was pretending to be as proof of his identity and citizenship.
The case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection, Champlain, New York. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Edward P. Grogan.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
