Hayden O’Byrne United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida | The Florida Bar
Carlos Abreu, a 36-year-old resident of Sunrise, Florida, has admitted guilt in two federal cases for several charges. These include falsely claiming U.S. citizenship to register and vote, using another person's name to vote, possessing firearms as an alien without lawful status, making false statements for a passport application, and aggravated identity theft.
The factual proffers reveal that Abreu entered the United States without inspection in 2007 and assumed the identity of "C.R.V.," a U.S. citizen residing in Puerto Rico who was unaware of Abreu's actions. From 2007 until his arrest in August 2024, Abreu presented himself as "C.R.V." to various government agencies.
Abreu acquired a Florida driver's license under this assumed identity in 2007 and registered to vote as "C.R.V." in 2016, renewing this registration in 2020. He confessed to voting in federal elections during 2016 and 2022. Additionally, he obtained a concealed carry permit under the same name and purchased four firearms. In 2021, he attempted to secure U.S. passports for himself and his two minor daughters using "C.R.V.'s" information unlawfully.
Sentencing is set for June 10, 2025, before U.S. District Judge David S. Leibowitz. The potential penalties include up to fifteen years for gun possession charges, ten years related to passport fraud counts, five years on voting-related charges, along with a mandatory minimum of two years for aggravated identity theft offenses.
The announcement came from United States Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida and Acting Special Agent Michael Conklin from the U.S. Department of State Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) Miami Field Office.
The DSS Miami Field Office led the investigation with support from its San Juan Resident Office in Puerto Rico and ATF Miami. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brianna Coakley and Daniel Rosenfeld are handling prosecution duties while Assistant U.S. Attorney Nadya Z. Cheatham oversees asset forfeiture matters.
For further details or updates on this case or related documents can be accessed via the websites of both the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl or through the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case numbers 24-cr-60155 and 25-cr-60015.
