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 Who Falsely Claimed To Be A U.S. Citizen

CBP Arrests Man Who Falsely Claimed To Be A U.S. Citizen

Release Date
Mon, 08/14/2017

LEWISTON, N.Y. – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office Field Operations officers arrested a man at the Lewiston Bridge after he falsely claimed to be a U.S. citizen.

Lewiston Bridge
Lewiston Bridge

On Sunday, Juan Jimenez Cortez, a 45-year old male, citizen of Mexico, presented an Illinois driver’s license bearing a different name and told the primary officers that he was a U.S. citizen.

Cortez was referred for further inspection where fingerprints revealed his true identity.

CBP Office of Field Operations presented the case to the U.S. Attorney’s, Office who accepted it for prosecution. Cortez appeared before a federal magistrate where he was charged with aggravated identity theft and making materially false and fictitious statements to a federal officer. Cortez was remanded into the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending his hearing.

"This was an outstanding job by our front line officers," said Acting Port Director Cary Frieling. "Identifying individuals who are in our country illegally and who present fraudulently obtained travel documents, is part of the important job our officers do to secure our borders and protect our community. We have an excellent working relationship with the U.S. Attorney’s office and together we can ensure these individuals face justice.”

Last Modified: Feb 03, 2021