On Feb. 11, 2022, Luis Miguel Lopez, 28, a citizen of the Dominican Republic, was arrested at the Cyril E. King Airport on a criminal charge based on his provision of false information to Customs and Border Protection agents.
According to court documents, Lopez presented himself to Customs and Border Protection for inspection at the Cyril E. King Airport. There, he gave agents a Puerto Rican driver’s license with the name of another person and repeatedly told agents that he was a United States citizen born in Puerto Rico.
When the agents inspected his baggage, they found a Social Security card and birth certificate with the same false name that appeared on the driver’s license that he had presented to Customs and Border Protection officials. Records checks revealed that these were not Lopez’s but were issued to others.
When confronted with this information, Luis Miguel Lopez admitted to agents that he is a citizen of the Dominican Republic and provided his actual name.
Luis Miguel Lopez is charged with a violation of making a material false statement in a matter within the jurisdiction of the Executive Branch of the United States Government. If Lopez is convicted, he faces a sentence of up to 5 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Homeland Security Investigations is investigating the case.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
