A Honduran national has pleaded guilty in federal court to charges related to identity theft and defrauding the U.S. government. Pedro Nolocos Rosales, 64, admitted on August 19, 2025, to making a false statement in a passport application, aggravated identity theft, and theft of government funds.
Authorities stated that Rosales used another person’s name and Social Security number for more than two decades. During this period, he applied for and received Social Security Administration (SSA) Disability Insurance Benefits using the stolen identity. From April 2003 through August 2023, Rosales obtained approximately $186,078.60 from the SSA as a result of this fraud.
“ROSALES applied for a United States passport and falsely used the social security number (“SSN”) and name of another person for over 20 years. ROSALES, using this SSN, also applied for Social Security Administration (“SSA”) Disability Insurance Benefits, and converted to his use, money belonging to the United States and the SSA. Approximately $186,078.60 in U.S. Government funds were released to him by the SSA from April 2003 through August 2023 as a result of ROSALES’s fraud,” according to court documents.
If convicted on all counts, Rosales faces up to ten years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000 for Count One; a mandatory consecutive two-year sentence for Count Two; and up to ten years imprisonment plus another $250,000 fine for Count Three. After incarceration, he could be placed under supervised release—up to one year on Count Two and up to three years on Counts One and Three—and must pay restitution totaling $186,078.60 along with a $100 special assessment fee per count.
The investigation was conducted by several agencies including the U.S Department of State Bureau of Diplomatic Security, the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Assistant United States Attorney Mary Katherine Kaufman is prosecuting the case.
