Joel Najera-Chirinos Sentenced for Illegal Reentry and Fraud

PROVIDENCE, RI – Joel Najera-Chirinos, a 42-year-old Honduran national, has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for illegal reentry into the United States and Social Security fraud, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.

Najera-Chirinos, who had previously been removed from the U.S. on three separate occasions between 2018 and 2019, illegally reentered the country prior to his January 2023 arrest in Providence. He was working under a false identity for a local shipbuilder at the time of his arrest.

According to court documents, Najera-Chirinos used the Social Security number of another individual to gain employment and was also found to possess a Puerto Rican driver’s license in someone else’s name. Following his arrest, he provided law enforcement with yet another person’s identity.

In a guilty plea entered on January 31, 2024, Najera-Chirinos admitted to charges of illegal reentry after deportation and Social Security fraud. U.S. District Court Judge Mary S. McElroy sentenced him to the 18-month term followed by one year of supervised release. Upon completion of his sentence, Najera-Chirinos faces potential deportation.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ronald R. Gendron and investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General/Office of Investigations.