An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

  1. Home
  2. Newsroom
  3. Local Media Release
  4. CBP arrests man in possession of Puerto Rico Birth Certificate and Social Security card

CBP arrests man in possession of Puerto Rico Birth Certificate and Social Security card

Release Date
Fri, 11/13/2015

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico –U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) San Juan Office of Field Operations officers arrested Thursday a man from the Dominican Republic, attempting to travel to New York, by means of using a Puerto Rico Birth Certificated and a Social Security Card, as proof of legal presence.CBP Officers inspect passengers departing from the territories to the Continental US

Jhoander Gervasio Paulino, 37, appeared today before the US District Court in San Juan for charges in violation of Title 18 USC section 1546(a), fraudulent use of visas and other documents. 

“CBP officers are vigilant of persons using identity documents that belong to other persons used to elude detection and bypass our laws,” stated Marcelino Borges, Director of Field Operations for Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. “Identity theft is a crime, and our agency will continue to work hard to identify illegal aliens that are flying using fraudulent identity documents”.   

Mr. Gervasio-Paulino was found at the Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport, Carolina, Puerto Rico, attempting to board a flight to the JFK Airport in New York.  He presented CBP Officers with a Dominican Republic passport bearing his name. 

During the course of a CBP immigration inspection to verify his immigration status, CBP Officers found in his possession a Puerto Rico Birth Certificate and a Social Security card, with another name. 

Mr. Gervasio-Paulino admitted that he purchased the documents for $150 in the Santurce ward of San Juan, in order to live and work in the United States. 

CBP Enfocement officers presented the case to Assistant US Attorney George Massucco who accepted the case for prosecution.

If convicted, both defendants could be fined, imprisoned not more than 10 years or both.

All defendants are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law. 

 

Last Modified: Feb 03, 2021