Honduran National Receives 26-Month Sentence for Aggravated Identity Theft
Nidia Roxana Maradiaga-Flores, 28, was sentenced in Tampa federal court to two years and two months in prison after conviction on aggravated identity theft, false Social Security number representation, and false citizenship claim for employment. The case triggers mandatory two-year imprisonment under federal identity theft statutes and adds to enforcement actions against unauthorized workers using stolen identities.
rte.ieTAMPA, Fla. — U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday sentenced Nidia Roxana Maradiaga-Flores to 26 months in federal prison on May 14, 2026, for aggravated identity theft, false representation of a Social Security number, and making a false claim of U.S. citizenship to obtain employment.
Maradiaga-Flores, a 28-year-old Honduran national present in the United States illegally, was found guilty on all counts on January 14, 2026. The sentence matches the statutory mandatory minimum of two years for aggravated identity theft under 18 U.S.C. § 1028A, which must run consecutively to any other term.
Per the Department of Justice announcement, she will serve the term in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release.
The charges stemmed from her use of another person's identity and Social Security number to secure employment while falsely claiming U.S. citizenship. Federal law requires a two-year prison term for each aggravated identity theft conviction, on top of penalties for the underlying fraud counts.
The case was prosecuted in the Middle District of Florida by the U.S. Attorney's Office led by Gregory W. Kehoe.
The conviction sets in motion immediate incarceration and removes Maradiaga-Flores from the workforce where the stolen identity had been used. It also initiates standard post-sentencing processes including potential deportation proceedings by immigration authorities upon completion of the criminal sentence.
Federal courts must now update records for similar cases citing the mandatory consecutive sentencing structure established in 2004 under the Identity Theft Penalty Enhancement Act.
This marks the latest federal prosecution in the Middle District of Florida involving identity theft tied to unauthorized employment. The Department of Justice has pursued such cases under statutes that carry fixed prison terms regardless of criminal history or amount of financial gain.
Congress enacted the two-year mandatory minimum to deter use of stolen identities in employment, tax, and benefits systems administered by the Social Security Administration and Department of Homeland Security.
Primary sources: U.S. Department of Justice
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