Special to the NEWS
McALLEN, TEXAS —A Mexican woman residing in San Benito was arrested for allegedly falsely claiming to be a U.S. citizen, according to the Office of U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
A Mexican citizen illegally residing in San Benito was indicted on charges related to using someone else’s identity to pose as an American citizen, announced Ganjei last week.
Authorities have now taken Cristina Amezcua Valencia, 53, into custody. She made her initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Scott Hacker on April 4.
A federal grand jury returned a three-count indictment on April 1. The charges include one count of false statement in application of a U.S. passport, one count of aggravated identity theft, and one count of false claim to citizenship, according to court records.
The charges allege that on Sept. 25, 2018, Amezcua applied for a U.S. passport, claiming the identity of another individual. On May 18, 2023, she allegedly utilized the passport containing the individual’s name, and date, and place of birth so she could enter the U.S. from Mexico.
If convicted, Amezcua faces up to 10 years in a federal prison for the false statement in the application of a U.S. passport and up to three years for false claim to U.S. citizenship. She will also be ordered to serve a mandatory two years for identity theft, upon conviction, which must be served consecutively to any other prison term imposed. She could also be ordered to pay up to a $250,000 fine.
Department of State – Diplomatic Security Service conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarina S. DiPiazza and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Samuel Delcolle are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.
Ganjei is a longtime federal prosecutor who previously served as acting U.S. Attorney and First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas.
He joined the Department of Justice in 2008 as an Assistant U.S. Attorney [AUSA] on the U.S. – Mexico border. As an AUSA, Ganjei prosecuted organized crime, immigration, narcotics, and human trafficking cases, as well as fraud, public corruption and white collar matters.
Before joining the Department, Ganjei clerked for the Honorable Richard Allen Griffin and Ralph R. Erickson of the 6th and 8th Circuit Court of Appeals, respectively. Ganjei has also taught on the subjects of civil, criminal and constitutional law at both the collegiate and law school levels.
Most recently, Ganjei was Chief Counsel to U.S. Senator Ted Cruz and the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on the Constitution, where he oversaw all legal matters related to criminal justice, border security, judicial nominations, antitrust, intellectual property and religious liberty.
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