Citizen of Guatemala Pleads Guilty to Illegally Purchasing and Possessing a Social Security Card

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK - Henry Estuardo Casteneda-Castro, age 33, who was living in Oneida County, pled guilty to an indictment charging him with illegally possessing a social security card he had purchased unlawfully. United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Thomas P. Brophy, Field Office Director, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations, (ICE-ERO) Buffalo, NY made the announcement.

During the plea, Casteneda-Castro admitted that several years ago he had illegally entered the United States through Texas. After entering, he purchased an identification card and social security card of another individual to illegally obtain work. In May 2023, Casteneda-Castro was arrested by the Oneida County Sherif's department on an unrelated matter and was found in possession of the fraudulent identification card and the social security card that he had unlawfully purchased.

At sentencing on November 21, 2024, Casteneda-Castro faces a maximum term of 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of up to 3 years supervised release. A defendant's sentence is imposed by a judge based on the statute the defendant violated, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, ICE-ERO investigated the case with the help of the Oneida County Sherriff's Department and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Tuck prosecuted the case.