LEONARDO PARAMO-BARBAS, a 29-year-old Nicaraguan national, was sentenced on December 4, 2025, in New Orleans after pleading guilty to misusing a social security number to obtain employment. United States District Judge Sarah S. Vance handed down the sentence of time served and imposed a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
According to the indictment, PARAMO-BARBAS knowingly and willfully misrepresented that a Social Security Number was assigned to him for employment purposes on July 20, 2022.
The case is part of Operation Take Back America, an initiative by the Department of Justice aimed at addressing illegal immigration and targeting criminal organizations. Acting United States Attorney Michael M. Simpson stated: “This case is part of Operation Take Back America, 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.”
Simpson commended the efforts of ICE Enforcement Removal Office and Homeland Security Investigations in this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Mary Katherine Kaufman from the General Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.
