U.S. District Judge William F. Jung has sentenced Lorenzo Antoni Alfred (64, New York) to seven years in federal prison for passport fraud and aggravated identity theft. Alfred had pleaded guilty on May 19, 2023.
According to court documents and testimony, in 1988, Alfred, a native of Trinidad and Tobago, stole the identity of a disabled United States veteran to illegally come into the United States. Alfred obtained the victim-veteran’s birth certificate and Social Security card and used those documents to claim he was the victim for the next three decades. In 1989, Alfred was convicted in New York of second degree murder under the veteran’s identity. After his release from prison in 2014, Alfred obtained identity documents, credit cards, and government benefits in the victim’s name in New York and Florida. In June 2019, while he was residing in Tampa, Alfred attempted to apply for a passport in the victim’s name. The victim was harmed psychologically and financially by the offenses, including temporarily losing his government benefits and being unable to obtain credit in his name.
“We are pleased at the outcome of this case,” said Philippe Furstenberg, Special Agent in Charge of the DSS Miami Field Office . “The Diplomatic Security Service values our partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and other law enforcement agencies around the world to prevent and jointly combat U.S. passport and visa fraud. Deterring, detecting, and investigating U.S. passport and visa fraud is essential to safeguarding our national security.”
“Today’s sentence rightfully holds the defendant accountable for stealing the identity of a U.S. Army veteran and receiving benefits to which he was not entitled,” said Special Agent in Charge Christopher Algieri, VA-OIG, Northeast Field Office. “The VA OIG appreciates the hard work of the United States Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners in securing justice in this matter.”
This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), the Social Security Administration – Office of the Inspector General, the Department of Veterans Affairs – Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture – Office of Inspector General. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Peresie.
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