NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - United States Attorney Peter G. Strasser announced that MANUEL LIRA-RIVERA, age 35, a native of Mexico, pleaded guilty Oct. 23, 2019 to illegally using a Social Security number in order to obtain employment, in violation of Title 42, United States Code, Section 408(a)(7)(B).
According to court documents, LIRA-RIVERA submitted an application to obtain employment with Company “A." During the application process, he presented a fraudulent United States Social Security card in the name of R.L.A. (a male) which contained the Social Security number of A.E.E. (a female) ending in 6757, which he represented to be his own. An employee suspected that the Social Security card was fraudulent and law enforcement was contacted. LIRA-RIVERA admitted that his real name was not R.L.A. and that the Social Security number ending in 6757 did not belong to him.
LIRA-RIVERA faces a maximum term of imprisonment of not more than five (5) years, a fine of $250,000.00, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00. United States District Court Judge Ivan L.R. Lemelle set sentencing for Dec. 18, 2019.
U.S. Attorney Strasser praised the work of United States Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, and Social Security Administration agents in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Jon Maestri is in charge of the prosecution.
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Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
