CONCORD, N.H. - Pedro Julio Alcantar-Bernabel a/k/a Francis Villar de la Santos, a citizen of the Dominican Republic who pleaded guilty to one count of Social Security Number Misuse and one count of Making a False Claim to United States Citizenship on January 7, 2016, was sentenced to time served, announced United States Attorney Emily Gray Rice. Alcantar-Bernabel has been in custody since his arrest on July 1, 2015.
Alcantar-Bernabel applied for a driver’s license at the Department of Motor Vehicles in Manchester, New Hampshire on July 1, 2015, using another person’s name, date of birth, and Social Security number. He also indicated on the application that he was a United States citizen. When Alcantar-Bernabel produced an altered Social Security card as a means of identification, the New Hampshire State Police were called to investigate. Upon further investigation, it was discovered that Alcantar-Bernabel was encountered by the United States Coast Guard in August 2000 off the coast of Puerto Rico. At that time, he admitted that he was a citizen of the Dominican Republic and was given a voluntary return to that country. Fingerprint analysis confirmed that the individual claiming United States citizenship on the New Hampshire driver’s license application was the same individual who was returned to the Dominican Republic in 2000.
Alcantar-Bernabel was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Paul J. Barbadoro. He will face deportation upon his release from custody.
The case was investigated by the United States Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Karen Burzycki.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
