Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) apprehended an illegal alien who was working at an aerospace firm and defense contractor in Southern California.
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) provided Border Hawk with immigration background on Alma Patricia Contreras Villafana, a 54-year-old Mexican national who was ordered removed from the U.S. over 20 years ago.
On Sept. 18, Villafana was taken into custody following a federal grand jury indictment that included five counts of wire fraud, one count of use of a false and forged certificate of naturalization, one count of aggravated identity theft, and one count of false claim to United States citizenship.
Villafana illegally entered the U.S. at an unknown location and date.
In 1996, she “secured employment at a Torrance-based business . . . in part, by attesting on her Form I-9 that she was a U.S. citizen,” the Department of Justice (DOJ) explained in a press release.
In January 2026, Villafana “again knowingly submitted a Form I-9 falsely attesting under penalty of perjury that she was a U.S. citizen to maintain her employment” at another company.
She is accused of knowingly providing a certificate of naturalization number that belonged to another person.
Between 1996 and 2026, Villafana received more than $1.4 million in compensation from the two companies, some or most of which was direct deposited into her bank account.
In June 2002, a DOJ judge granted Villafana two months to voluntarily depart the U.S. after she was arrested by federal immigration officers in San Ysidro, California, and charged with illegal entry without inspection
In February 2004, immigration officials determined Villafana breached her bond by failing to provide evidence of her departure, but she continued to live and work in the U.S. for decades.
“HSI is dedicated to aggressively investigating fraud that compromises our nation’s workforce and security,” said HSI Los Angeles acting Special Agent in Charge Erin Burke.
“When individuals use stolen identities and false claims to secure employment, especially within the defense sector, they undermine public trust and pose a significant security risk. We will continue to hold those who perpetrate this type of fraud fully accountable.
If convicted, Villafana faces a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for each wire fraud count, a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison for the use of a false and forged certificate of naturalization count, up to three years in federal prison for falsely claiming to have U.S. citizenship, and a mandatory two-year consecutive prison sentence for aggravated identity theft.
