A Guatemalan national living in St. Joseph, Missouri, pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of aggravated identity theft and illegal re-entry after a felony conviction. Romeo Perez-Bravo, 43, admitted to using the identity of a Minnesota man for more than ten years to gain employment in the United States.
Perez-Bravo entered his plea before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays. He acknowledged using the victim’s name and social security number from as early as 2009 until his indictment in March 2025. The victim discovered the identity theft after receiving tax bills from the Internal Revenue Service for unpaid income taxes associated with his social security number. Perez-Bravo also used this stolen identity to obtain several Missouri-issued identification cards.
Authorities confirmed that Perez-Bravo is a citizen of Guatemala who does not have legal permission to enter or work in the United States. Records show he has been deported three times, including at least one instance following a felony conviction.
Federal law mandates a minimum sentence of two years in prison for aggravated identity theft and up to ten years for illegal re-entry by an alien previously convicted of a felony. These sentences must be served consecutively. The final sentence will be determined by the court based on advisory guidelines and other statutory factors after a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda K. Hanson is prosecuting the case, which was investigated by several agencies: Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General; Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations; St. Joseph Police Department; and Olivia Police Department in Minnesota.
The prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America, described as “a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.”
The U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri oversees federal prosecutions like this across 66 counties in western Missouri, collaborating with various law enforcement partners and supporting community outreach programs addressing issues such as violent crime and drug trafficking (official website). The office operates within federal law enforcement, focusing on prosecution and litigation since its establishment by Congress in 1857 (official website).
