A San Diego woman and her boyfriend are facing federal charges for allegedly stealing her brother’s identity, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Wednesday.
Kassandra Sanchez, 23, of San Diego, and Luis Enrique Villegas Brownell, 20, of Tijuana, are accused of stealing Sanchez’s brother’s identification documents, as well as using a state ID card obtained under Sanchez’s brother’s name.
The motive, authorities said, was so that Villegas could impersonate the brother and cross the border unlawfully. He allegedly did so more than 50 times over the past 17 months.
The male suspect allegedly provided false information at a California DMV to get an ID card that bore Sanchez’s brother’s name, but his own photo and thumbprint. He also used the stolen ID to smuggle an undocumented immigrant through the San Ysidro Port of Entry and apply for Medi-Cal and other benefits, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Sanchez’s brother was unable to enter the United States due to the identity theft, prosecutors said. The brother told border officers that Sanchez had asked for his documents to get her boyfriend into the U.S., then stole his documents after he refused, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The couple are facing charges that include conspiracy, aggravated identity theft and false personation in an immigration matter.
