US citizen living in Juarez sentenced for selling birth certificate to Mexican citizen

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KVIA) --A U.S. citizen living in Ciudad Juarez received a 15-month prison sentence for selling his birth certificate to someone from Mexico, the U.S. Attorney's Office for New Mexico said.

In December 2025, U.S. Border Patrol agents at the Alamogordo, New Mexico, checkpoint came across a Mexican citizen who falsely claimed to be a U.S. citizen, USAONM said. The person allegedly showed 31-year-old David Ramirez' U.S. birth certificate.

Officials learned Ramirez lived in Juarez and had U.S. citizenship. The Mexican citizen admitted he was unlawfully present in the U.S. and obtained the birth certificate through an intermediary.

In February 2026, Border Patrol agents found Ramirez at the Bridge of the Americas Port of Entry in El Paso. Ramirez admitted he allowed the Mexican citizen to use his birth certificate in exchange for money, USAONM said.

Ramirez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the U.S. Ramirez will be subject to three years of supervised release upon his release from prison.