Mexican citizen sentenced for using false identification at Orleans County farm
Press Release, U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr., Western District of New York
BUFFALO – U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced on Thursday that Eusebio Chavez-Islas, 58, of Mexico, pleaded guilty before Senior U.S. District Judge William M. Skretny to fraud and misuse of visas, permits, and other documents. The defendant was then sentenced to time served and turned over to the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy Murray, who is handling the case, stated that on March 26, 2019, ICE officers received a request for assistance from the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office at 3282 Transit Road in Albion. Once they arrived, ICE officers encountered Chavez-Islas, and determined through record checks that he was a citizen of Mexico, illegally present in the United States.
Subsequent investigation determined that the defendant was working at Nesbitt Brothers, LLC. On April 18, 2019, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents obtained a Form I-9 from Nesbitt Fruit Farms, the owner of Nesbitt Brothers, LLC. The Form I-9 had a photocopy of a fraudulent social security card which was provided by Chavez-Islas for purposes of his employment.
On April 30, 2019, the fraudulent social security card that the defendant used for his employment was seized by agents during the execution of a search warrant at 3282 Transit Road in Albion. The card depicted the name “Eusebio Chavez.” A check of Social Security Administration records revealed that the social security card that Chavez-Islas possessed contained a valid social security number which was not assigned to the defendant.
The plea and sentencing are the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Kevin Kelly; the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Randy Bower; and the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge John F. Grasso.
