NEW ORLEANS, LA – Pedro Nolo Rosales, 64, a citizen of Honduras, has admitted to a brazen, decades-long scheme to defraud the United States government. Rosales pled guilty August 19, 2025, to a three-count indictment including making a false statement in a passport application, aggravated identity theft, and theft of government funds, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson.
Court documents reveal Rosales wasn’t just borrowing an identity; he lived it. For over 20 years, he illegally used another person’s name and Social Security number (SSN) to obtain a United States passport. This wasn’t a one-time slip-up. Rosales systematically exploited the stolen identity, leveraging it to apply for and receive Social Security Administration (SSA) Disability Insurance Benefits.
The scheme was remarkably persistent. From April 2003 through August 2023, the SSA funneled a staggering $186,078.60 directly into Rosales’s pockets. He converted these funds—money intended for a legitimate recipient—to his own personal use, effectively stealing from American taxpayers for two decades. The audacity is frankly astonishing.
The feds are coming down hard. Rosales now faces a potential ten-year prison sentence and a $250,000 fine on the passport fraud charge. Aggravated identity theft carries a mandatory consecutive two-year sentence. And the theft of government funds could add another ten years behind bars, plus another $250,000 fine. Post-release, he could face up to three years of supervised release on the first and third counts, and one year on the identity theft charge.
But the prison time isn’t the only consequence. Rosales has agreed to pay back every single penny he stole: $186,078.60 in restitution. He’ll also be hit with a mandatory $100 special assessment fee for each of the three counts. Consider this a warning: stealing from the government isn’t a victimless crime, and it carries severe penalties.
The investigation was a collaborative effort led by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Diplomatic Security, the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Assistant United States Attorney Mary Katherine Kaufman of the General Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case. This case underscores the importance of vigilance in protecting government benefits and holding fraudsters accountable.
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Key Facts
- State: Louisiana
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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