KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Mexican national who illegally entered the United States at least a dozen times was sentenced in federal court for illegal reentry and for stealing a deceased person’s identity to obtain employment.
Rigoberto Vasquez-Milan, 37, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to two years and six months in federal prison without parole.
On April 22, 2019, Vasquez-Milan pleaded guilty to one count of illegally reentering the United States after having been deported and one count of aggravated identity theft.
Vasquez-Milan used another person’s name, Social Security card and lawful permanent resident card to obtain employment at a Kansas City, Missouri, restaurant. Vasquez-Milan came under suspicion when he was accused of raping a female co-worker on Jan. 17, 2018 (no charges were filed). The victim told police that after her shift she gave him a ride home from work. After she reported the incident, police officers called U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) in Kansas City and learned the identity information belonged to a deceased person.
According to court documents, Vasquez-Milan has entered the United States illegally at least a dozen times. He was removed from the United States three times pursuant to an immigration judge’s order and voluntarily returned to Mexico eight times.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rudolph R. Rhodes IV. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department and Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).