U.S. Attorney Timothy Duax | U.S. Department of Justice
A Guatemalan man has been sentenced to over a year in federal prison for illegally reentering the United States after deportation and using another person's social security number for employment. Luis Gomez-Otoy, 39, residing in Postville, Iowa, pleaded guilty on August 21, 2024, to charges including unlawful use of identification documents, misuse of a social security number, and illegal reentry into the country following a felony conviction.
Gomez-Otoy admitted during his plea that he had previously been deported from the United States and returned without government permission. He was initially arrested in May 2008 during an immigration enforcement action in Postville and deported later that year. In May 2024, immigration officials discovered his illegal return when he was found at Clayton County Jail after being arrested on state charges. On July 12, 2024, he was convicted in state court for operating while intoxicated for a second time and sentenced to seven days' imprisonment.
Previously convicted in May 2008 in the Northern District of Iowa for using false employment documents—a felony—Gomez-Otoy served five months before being deported. In addition to these offenses, Gomez-Otoy admitted to using fraudulent Social Security and Permanent Resident cards bearing his name when completing employment forms at a business in West Union, Iowa, in May 2022. The Social Security card's number belonged to someone else, while the Permanent Resident card's alien registration number was assigned to a Mexican female.
United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand sentenced Gomez-Otoy to 13 months' imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release. Federal parole is not available.
Currently held by the United States Marshal’s custody pending transport to federal prison, Gomez-Otoy's case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel C. Tvedt with investigations conducted by the Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Enforcement and Removal Operations.
