A Honduran national, Juan Ariel Molina-Salles, has pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated identity theft, false representation of a Social Security number, and making a false claim of United States citizenship for employment purposes. The plea was announced by United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe in Tampa, Florida.
Molina-Salles, 35, faces a mandatory minimum sentence of two years in federal prison, which must be served consecutively to any other prison term, and could receive up to 12 years in total.
Court documents state that Molina-Salles applied for work with Archer Western-de Moya Group Joint Venture II in Pinellas County on February 16, 2022. The company participates in E-Verify, an electronic system used by employers to confirm the eligibility of their employees to work in the United States. On his application and I-9 form for E-Verify, Molina-Salles falsely claimed U.S. citizenship and used another person’s identification (V.V.R.) to circumvent the system.
He did not provide documentation or proof that he was trained or qualified to operate heavy construction equipment. On September 22, 2022, while working at a highway construction site under the stolen identity V.V.R., Molina-Salles operated a front-end loader that struck and killed Deputy Michael Hartwick of the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.
Molina-Salles was arrested the following day and interviewed by detectives from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. He admitted he was from Honduras and had entered the United States illegally about eight months earlier via Mexico into Texas. He also confirmed his true identity and acknowledged using stolen identification to obtain employment with Archer Western.
The investigation involved multiple agencies: Homeland Security Investigations; Department of Transportation – Office of Inspector General; Social Security Administration – Office of Inspector General; United States Border Patrol; Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General; Florida Department of Law Enforcement; and Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Christopher F. Murray is prosecuting the case.
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