Vidal Ricardo Murillo-Zuniga, Illegal Reentry, Social Security Fraud, and Identity Theft, Kentucky 2025

Crime Spree in Louisville, Kentucky

A federal grand jury in Louisville, Kentucky, has indicted Vidal Ricardo Murillo-Zuniga, a 34-year-old Honduran national, for a string of crimes, including illegal reentry, social security number fraud, and aggravated identity theft.

According to the original indictment, Murillo-Zuniga was charged with reentry after deportation or removal. On or about January 22, 2025, Murillo-Zuniga was found in the United States after having been denied admission, excluded, deported, and removed from the United States on or about May 29, 2013.

The superseding indictment alleges that on or about June 13, 2024, Murillo-Zuniga committed social security number fraud in Nelson County, Kentucky when he used another person’s social security number to obtain employment at Mammy’s Kitchen. On that same date, he committed aggravated identity theft, which carries a mandatory 2-year prison sentence, when he used another person’s name, date of birth, and social security number during and in relation to the social security number fraud to obtain employment.

Murillo-Zuniga previously made an initial appearance before a U.S. Magistrate Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky on a federal complaint and arrest warrant. The Court ordered the defendant detained pending trial.

If convicted, Murillo-Zuniga faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 2 years and a maximum sentence of 9 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

There is no parole in the federal system. The case is being investigated by HSI and ICE ERO, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Ansari is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

For more information about the case, please contact the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Kentucky.

Defendant Information:

Defendant: Vidal Ricardo Murillo-Zuniga

Charge: Illegal Reentry, Social Security Number Fraud, and Aggravated Identity Theft

City and State: Louisville, Kentucky

Exact Date: June 13, 2024, and January 22, 2025

Sentence: Mandatory minimum sentence of 2 years and a maximum sentence of 9 years in prison

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdky/pr/federal-grand-jury-louisville-indicts-honduran-national-illegal-reentry-social