A woman from Lawrence was charged in federal court on Friday after being accused of using someone else’s identity to obtain a passport and other government issued IDs, according to a statement from U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley’s office.
Wendy Chavez, 49, was arrested on Thursday and charged with passport fraud, aggravated identity theft and misuse of a social security number. Chavez made her initial appearance in court Thursday afternoon and a detention hearing is scheduled for May 7.
The incident happened in June 2020 when Chavez is accused of submitting a passport renewal application using another person’s name, date of birth and Social Security number, Foley’s office said.
The passport was issued to Chavez.
Chavez is also accused of using the same identification information to acquire “multiple” government-issued IDs, including a Massachusetts driver’s license.
If convicted of false statement in a passport application, Chavez could face up to 10 year sin prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine, the statement reads.
The charge of aggravated identity theft calls for a mandatory minimum of two years in prison to be added to the felony committed while using the means of identification of another without lawful authority.
The charge of misuse of social security number provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and $250,000 in fines.
