⏱ 2 min read
Jose Luis Rodriguez, a 46-year-old Dominican national, has been sentenced to 50 months in prison for perpetrating a brazen passport scam in Connecticut. Rodriguez, who was living in Waterbury, assumed the identity of a recently released prisoner and used it to obtain a US passport, which he then used for travel and identification purposes. The scam was uncovered in June 2025, when the victim applied for a Connecticut ID card and the DMV discovered that Rodriguez had already obtained a driver’s license in the victim’s name. The investigation revealed that Rodriguez had been using the victim’s identity since 2001, and had even posed as the victim in arrest records and booking photographs.
Rodriguez’s downfall came on December 30, 2025, when he submitted his false passport to the US Department of State and falsely represented himself as the victim and a US citizen. He was arrested and has been detained ever since. On April 28, 2026, Rodriguez pleaded guilty to one count of using a passport secured by a false statement and one count of aggravated identity theft.
The investigation was conducted by the US Department of State, Diplomatic Security Service, with assistance from the Waterbury Police Department. Rodriguez will be removed to the Dominican Republic after serving his prison term.
📋 Key Facts
- Crime: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Defendant: Connecticut
- Location: CT
- Source: DOJ Press Release
