13 Illegal Immigrants Arrested in Kentucky for Using False Social Security Numbers to Gain Employment

Federal authorities arrested 13 illegal aliens in western Kentucky on charges they used false Social Security numbers to obtain employment, the U.S. Department of Justice announced June 1.

Eight of those arrested were indicted by a grand jury in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. The indictments cite violations of 18 U.S.C. § 1028A, aggravated identity theft, and related statutes prohibiting the knowing use of false Social Security numbers for employment purposes.

The operation targeted individuals who presented counterfeit or stolen Social Security numbers on Form I-9 and related payroll documents. Per the DOJ release, all 13 defendants entered the United States unlawfully and remained present without authorization.

The eight indicted defendants now face federal criminal prosecution in addition to civil immigration removal proceedings conducted by the Department of Homeland Security.

The action forms part of a broader DOJ initiative to prosecute worksite identity fraud. Each count of aggravated identity theft carries a mandatory two-year prison sentence that must run consecutively to any other term imposed. Conviction also triggers deportation upon completion of any criminal sentence.

This is the latest in a series of federal enforcement actions in the Western District of Kentucky targeting document fraud used to bypass employment verification requirements. The original complaints were filed under the Trump administration's second-term immigration enforcement directives that began in January 2025.

Congress has separately appropriated additional funds for worksite enforcement in the current fiscal year.

The cases now move to arraignment and trial scheduling in federal district court while parallel removal proceedings continue at immigration courts.