The Middle District of Florida’s United States Attorney’s Office announced on Tuesday the filing of a criminal complaint against Jhuliana Ceclilia Noriega Ron, a 36-year-old Venezuelan. The charge is for possessing a counterfeit U.S. Permanent Resident Card, commonly referred to as a Green Card.
On January 27, a police officer from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) pulled over Noriega Ron for cutting across multiple lanes of traffic at the Bay Pines VA Medical Center, according to the complaint filed by the U.S. attorney’s office.
Law enforcement authorities requested Noriega Ron’s driver’s license, but she was unable to provide a valid one, as stated by the U.S. attorney’s office.
Instead, Noriega Ron willingly handed over her Venezuelan passport and gave her consent for a thorough search of her vehicle, as reported by the U.S. attorney’s office.
Officers discovered two counterfeit Green Cards and two counterfeit Social Security cards in the center console, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.
In addition, the U.S. attorney’s office has confirmed that Noriega Ron possessed a counterfeit Green Card and a counterfeit Social Security card, both in his name.
The office reported that Noriega Ron entered the United States illegally and without documentation at Eagle Pass, Texas, in September 2023, as informed by the U.S. Border Patrol to VA police.
If Noriega Ron is found guilty, the U.S. attorney’s office states that he could potentially be sentenced to a maximum of 10 years in federal prison.
A complaint is essentially a formal accusation against a defendant, stating that they have committed one or more violations of federal criminal law. It is important to note that every defendant is considered innocent until proven guilty.