Salvadoran National Sentenced for Passport Fraud

Defendant currently serving state sentence in Maryland for sexual abuse of a minor

Boston – A Salvadoran national previously residing in Chelsea was sentenced today for passport fraud.

Eliseo Rivas, 47, was sentenced in a videoconference hearing before U.S. District Court Judge Patti B. Saris to three months in prison and three years of supervised release. Rivas will face deportation upon completion of his state and federal sentence. Rivas is currently serving a seven-year state sentence in Maryland for a September 2018 conviction of sexual abuse of a minor. In March 2020, Rivas pleaded guilty to making a false statement in a passport application.

On Sept. 30, 2016, Rivas submitted an application for a U.S. Passport using the name, Social Security number, and date of birth of a United States citizen. As proof of citizenship and identity, Rivas submitted a Puerto Rican birth certificate in the victim’s name and a Massachusetts Identification Card in the victim’s name but with Rivas’s photo. After reviewing the application, the Boston Passport Agency forwarded the application to federal authorities for investigation.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and William B. Gannon, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, Boston Field Office made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanne Sullivan Jacobus of Lelling’s Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.