Lafayette- On February 13, 2012 the Indiana State Police at the Lafayette Post received information of a possible identity deception case involving a suspect form the Lafayette area and a serviceman with the United States Air Force.

Sergeant Bryan Harper of the Criminal Investigation Division of the Indiana State Police spoke with the victim Billy Garcia.  Garcia stated that he owed the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) back taxes for employment at Perdue Farms to which he never was employed.  Sergeant Harper’s investigation has revealed that Leonel Guijosa Silva, 26 years old from Lafayette, IN was using Mr. Garcia’s identifying information for employment at Perdue Farms.

Mr. Silva was charged with Identity Deception a Class D Felony and is scheduled for an initial hearing this morning in Superior Court 6 at the Tippecanoe County Court House in Lafayette, IN.  This is an ongoing investigation.

Sergeant Bryan Harper advised that this is the third such case involving the IRS and people owing back taxes.  Victim’s information is used by suspects who may be here illegally and obtain victim’s information to get employment here in Indiana and other states.  The suspect works at the job until they are fired, get other employment or move out of the area. 

Tips for employers to keep from hiring persons using false information are to check the application.  Do some background investigation!  Check to be sure information provided by the applicant is correct.  A little checking can go a long way in stopping identity deception.

All suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.