Joel Sanchez-Mendoza, Aggravated Identity Theft, Kentucky 2026

A Mexican national man, Joel Sanchez-Mendoza, 39, was convicted on May 9, 2026 by a federal jury in Lexington for making false statements regarding citizenship and aggravated identity theft-related charges.

Sanchez-Mendoza was convicted of one count of making a false statement of citizenship to engage in unlawful employment, one count of making a false statement of citizenship to obtain a Kentucky Commercial Driver’s License (CDL), and two counts of aggravated identity theft.

According to testimony at trial, Sanchez-Mendoza assumed the identity of an American citizen by using their name, date of birth, and social security number. With this information, he was able to obtain employment and a Kentucky CDL.

Sanchez-Mendoza will appear for sentencing on June 25, 2026. He faces a maximum of 48 months in prison, consecutive to any other sentence. However, the Court must consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the applicable federal sentencing statutes before imposing a sentence.

The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the United States Postal Inspection Service. The U.S. Attorney’s Office was represented in the case by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ron Walker.

First Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky Paul McCaffrey, Special Agent in Charge, Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Rana Saoud, and Special Agent in Charge, United States Postal Inspection Service, Pittsburgh Field Division Lesley Allison jointly announced the conviction.

Sanchez-Mendoza, a Mexican national, was illegally residing in Kentucky. He assumed the identity of an American citizen and obtained employment and a Kentucky CDL using the stolen identity.

Related Federal Cases