Thursday, January 27, 2011

Inocente Monroy Alcantara, 26, a Mexican national illegally present in the United States who had been working at a meat processing plant in Arkansas City, Kan has been sentenced to a year in federal prison for using a stolen identity to work at the plant, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said today.

Alcantara used the identity of a United States Marine who was stationed overseas at the time, in 2008, to get the job. The Marine, who has asked that his name not be released publicly, upon his return to the U.S. in 2009 started receiving collection calls and letters regarding credit accounts he had not opened.

The Ark City Police Dept., with the help of the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as well as the San Diego, Calif., Police Dept. (the Marine was stationed at Miramar), traced the accounts to Alcantara and his employment at the Creekstone Farms meat processing plant in Arkansas City.

“Identity theft in employment situations is a growing problem in Kansas and across the country,” U.S. Attorney Grissom said.

Alcantara, who told the court he was born in Mexico City, was sentenced here Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Eric F. Melgren. He pleaded guilty Nov. 10 to document fraud, an “aggravated felony” as defined by the Immigration and Nationality Act that will result in his automatic removal from the United States after he completes his federal prison sentence. He also is banned for life from re-applying for admission into the United States. Should he return unlawfully, he faces a multi-year prison sentence for re-entry after deportation.

Grissom praised the law enforcement agencies involved for their efforts and Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson for his prosecution. Alcantara remains in federal custody pending designation of the prison where the remainder of his sentence will be served, Grissom said.