A federal jury in Lexington has convicted Joel Sanchez-Mendoza, a 39-year-old Mexican national living illegally in Kentucky, on charges related to false statements about citizenship and aggravated identity theft.
After a two-day trial and two hours of deliberation, the jury found Sanchez-Mendoza guilty of making a false statement of citizenship to obtain employment, making a false statement of citizenship to secure a Kentucky Commercial Driver’s License (CDL), and two counts of aggravated identity theft.
Testimony during the trial indicated that Sanchez-Mendoza used the name, date of birth, and social security number belonging to an American citizen. Using this information, he was able to gain employment and obtain a Kentucky CDL.
Paul McCaffrey, First Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Rana Saoud, Special Agent in Charge with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); and Lesley Allison, Special Agent in Charge with the United States Postal Inspection Service’s Pittsburgh Field Division, announced the conviction jointly.
The investigation was led by HSI and the United States Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ron Walker represented the government during the case.
Sanchez-Mendoza is scheduled for sentencing on June 25, 2026. He faces up to 48 months in prison for these offenses. The final sentence will be determined by the court after considering federal sentencing guidelines and statutes.
