Jose Reyes-Acosta, a 49-year-old Salvadoran citizen, has been sentenced to 39 months in prison for illegal re-entry into the United States and fraud offenses. The sentencing took place in Syracuse, New York. Reyes-Acosta was found guilty of using stolen identifying information belonging to a U.S. citizen to obtain a U.S. passport and attempting to secure a New York state identification card.
The announcement was made by Carla B. Freedman, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of New York; Joshua S. Levy, U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts; Thomas P. Brophy, Field Office Director at ICE-ERO Buffalo, NY; and Matthew O’Brien, Special Agent in Charge at the Diplomatic Security Service's Boston Field Office.
Reyes-Acosta admitted to re-entering the United States after being deported previously and purchasing stolen documents in Massachusetts to fraudulently obtain official identification documents including a Massachusetts REAL ID. His attempt to apply for a New York state ID card in 2023 was thwarted by law enforcement before issuance.
The charges related to his actions in Massachusetts were initially indicted there but later transferred to the Northern District of New York where he faced five counts including Illegal Re-Entry and Aggravated Identity Theft. In addition to his prison sentence, Reyes-Acosta received a $2,000 fine.
The investigation involved several agencies: the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's ICE-ERO; the Diplomatic Security Service from the Department of State; as well as assistance from the New York Department of Motor Vehicles' Division of Field Investigation and Utica Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ben Gillis prosecuted the case.