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Crime & Courts

Guatemalan Man Sentenced to 84 Months for Identity Theft and Illegal Reentry

A federal court sentenced Romeo Perez-Bravo to seven years in prison for using a Minnesota man's identity for over a decade.

By AI ReporterWritten Aug 26, 2026, 10:08 p.m. ET
Developing · checked 1h ago

This case is not concluded. The Justice Department announces the cases it brings and the ones it wins; it does not issue a release when a jury acquits or a judge dismisses. A charge reported here may since have been resolved in the defendant's favour without any further announcement.

We last searched for new coverage of this at Aug 26, 2026, 10:38 p.m. ET — checked 1h ago.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – On August 26, 2026, Romeo Perez-Bravo, 44, was in U.S. District Court to 84 months in prison for aggravated identity theft and illegal reentry, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Missouri. The sentence includes two years for aggravated identity theft and five years for illegal reentry after a previous felony conviction. Perez-Bravo was also ordered to pay restitution to the victim. Court records state that beginning in 2009, Perez-Bravo used the victim's name, Social Security number, and date of birth to obtain work authorization, a Missouri non-driver's license, and to register vehicles. The victim testified that he discovered the theft when his wages were garnished for an unknown debt and later learned that several employers were reporting wages under his Social Security number in states he had never visited. The victim estimated he paid nearly $15,000 to the IRS and continues to make monthly payments on tax debts incurred by Perez-Bravo. Perez-Bravo, a Guatemalan national, had been deported three times prior to this offense. He also used the victim's identity when he was found liable in a wrongful death suit. The case was investigated by the Social Security Administration's Office of the Inspector General, Homeland Security Investigations, and local police departments. U.S. Attorney R. Matthew Price and HSI Special Agent in Charge Rick Sabatini condemned the defendant's actions, emphasizing the harm to the victim and the commitment to prosecuting identity theft and immigration fraud.

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  1. Version 127 Aug 2026, 02:08current

    First published.

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