A Mexican national who was living in central Mississippi will spend two years behind bars for aggravated identity theft.
Court documents reveal that 51-year-old Ivonne Elena Cortez-Acosta used the name and identity of a U.S. citizen while living in Richland and fraudulently applied for a Transportation Worker Identity Credential (TWIC).
Cortez-Acosta was first apprehended by Customs and Border Patrol in 2000 when she attempted to smuggle 23.84 kilograms of marijuana in the backseat of her vehicle. As a result, the criminal was booked, placed in removal proceedings, and subsequently removed from the U.S. and returned to Mexico as a Mexican national.
At an unspecified point in time, Cortez-Acosta reentered the U.S. without inspection. She then stole the identity of an American citizen in an attempt to obtain the TWIC — a document that can be used to gain access to critical infrastructure areas or sites.
Agents from Homeland Security Investigations and the Transportation Security Administration Office were able to intervene and apprehend Cortez-Acosta before she was able to receive a TWIC card.
Homeland Security Investigations and the Transportation Security Administration investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam T. Stuart prosecuted the case.
