A Honduran national has been sentenced to two years and two months in federal prison after being convicted of aggravated identity theft and related fraud charges, federal prosecutors announced.
Nidia Roxana Maradiaga-Flores, 28, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday after being found guilty on Jan. 14, 2026, of aggravated identity theft, false representation of a Social Security number, and making a false claim of U.S. citizenship for employment purposes, according to U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe.
According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, Maradiaga-Flores was in the United States without lawful status when she applied for employment with Archer Western-de Moya Group Joint Venture II in Pinellas County on March 23, 2022.
Federal prosecutors said the company participates in E-Verify, a web-based system used by employers to electronically confirm whether employees are eligible to work in the United States.
As part of the hiring process, Maradiaga-Flores completed an I-9 employment eligibility form. Prosecutors said she falsely claimed to be a U.S. citizen and used another person’s identifying information in an effort to defeat the E-Verify system.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General, the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General, U.S. Border Patrol, the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.
The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Wheeler III and Assistant U.S. Attorney Karyna Valdes.
