WASHINGTON — A Peruvian citizen is facing charges for using a stolen identity to use and maintain a Connecticut CDL.
On Aug. 13, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut filed a criminal complaint charging Flor Consuelo Del Carmen Caballero Bernabe, a Peruvian citizen, with immigration fraud offenses.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Caballero Bernabe traveled to the U.S. in 2000 on a non-immigrant visa and subsequently began using the identity and social security number of a U.S. citizen to reside, work and maintain a Connecticut CDL. Caballero Bernabe also used the fraudulent identity and SSN to apply for a U.S. passport in 2005, renew it in 2015 and use it to travel internationally.
“This investigation began after the individual whose identity Caballero Bernabe had originally stolen allegedly applied to the Social Security Administration (SSA) seeking Social Security Disability benefits in 2022,” USDOT said in a press release. “SSA informed the individual that a person in Connecticut had been earning income using the same SSN. It is further alleged that Caballero Bernabe used a CDL to operate commercial motor vehicles for FMCSA regulated entities. Caballero Bernabe allegedly made false statements on an FMCSA administered medical examination form to maintain the CDL.”
The complaint charges Caballero Bernabe with passport application fraud, misuse of a passport, making a false claim of U.S. citizenship, misuse of a social security account number, aggravated identity theft, and making false statements.
CDL fraud is becoming more common.
DOT-OIG is conducting this investigation with Department of State Diplomatic Security Service, SSA-OIG, and Homeland Security Investigations.
Dana Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has been featured in multiple newspapers, books and magazines across the globe. She is currently based in the Atlanta, Georgia, area.
Everything that is happening is due to reckless people who sometimes know what not making a U-turn means and still do it.