Lawrence Man Pleads Guilty to Making False Statements in Passport Application and Aggravated Identity Theft

BOSTON - A Lawrence man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to falsely claiming to be a United States citizen in a passport application.

Ruben Dario Guerrero, 44, pleaded guilty to one count of making a false statement in a passport application and one count of aggravated identity theft. Chief U.S. District Court Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV scheduled sentencing for March 5, 2025.

On Aug. 25, 2023, Guerrero submitted an application for a U.S. passport at a post office in Lawrence, Mass. Guerrero used the name, date of birth and social security number of a U.S. citizen who died in Puerto Rico in 1997, and signed the application under an attestation in which he declared under penalty of perjury that he was a United States citizen. In fact, however, identity documents from the Dominican Republic show Guerrero to be a Dominican citizen.

The charge of making a false statement in a passport application provides for a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of aggravated identity theft carries a mandatory sentence of two years in prison that must run consecutive to any other sentence, one year of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes that govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Matthew O'Brien, Special Agent in charge of the U.S. Department of State's Diplomatic Security Service, Boston Field Office made the announcement today.