TAMPA, Fla. — A Mexican national who lived illegally in the United States for decades has been sentenced to four months in federal prison after pleading guilty to passport fraud and making false statements in a passport application.
Juan Arturo Martinez, 62, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday after admitting in February 2025 to using a fraudulent identity to obtain U.S. passports and engage in activities reserved for U.S. citizens—including voting in presidential elections.
Court records show that Martinez, who was born in Mexico, submitted a fraudulent passport application in Sarasota on March 1, 2002. To support the application, he provided a fake Texas birth certificate, falsely claiming U.S. citizenship. Based on that application, a passport was issued to him later that month…