Fugitive from Federal Court in Nebraska Sentenced to Federal Prison for Document Fraud

A Mexican man who was on the run from federal court in Nebraska to avoid being sentenced for committing aggravated identity theft there was sentenced June 18, 2018, in Iowa to one year in federal prison for fraudulent using the name and Social Security number of another person.

Fernando Nevarez-Carreon, age 61, a citizen of Mexico and lawful permanent resident of the United States residing in Dyersville, Iowa, received the prison term after a November 20, 2017, guilty plea to one count of unlawful use of identification documents while on pretrial release.

At the guilty plea, Nevarez-Carreon admitted that he used a Social Security card knowing that the card was forged or unlawfully obtained.  In April 2015, Nevarez-Carreon pled guilty in the United States District Court for the District of Nebraska to conspiracy to distribute counterfeit documents and aggravated identity theft.  In July 2015, Nevarez-Carreon failed to appear for sentencing in Nebraska and a warrant was issued for his arrest.  In July 2016, Nevarez-Carreon and his wife Rosa Nevarez-Fallad both completed employment paperwork under false names to obtain jobs in Farley, Iowa, and used identification cards bearing the names and Social Security Numbers of United States citizens.  Nevarez-Carreon avoided apprehension by law enforcement until March 2017, when he was arrested at his place of employment in Farley. 

In June 2017, Nevarez-Carreon was sentenced in the United States District Court for the District of Nebraska to more than six years in prison.  Nevarez-Carreon also has a 1999 conviction for domestic battery in Cook County, Illinois, and convictions in 2004 and 2005 for driving under the influence in Dodge County, Nebraska.  On February 14, 2018, Rosa Nevarez-Fallad was sentenced in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Iowa to three months’ imprisonment following a guilty plea to one count of unlawful use of an identification document.

Nevarez-Carreon was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge Linda R. Reade.  Nevarez-Carreon was sentenced to twelve months’ imprisonment to be served consecutively to the Nebraska sentence.  He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

Nevarez-Carreon is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel C. Tvedt and investigated by the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, and the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations. 

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 17-CR-1025-LRR.

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