ALAN RODRIGUEZ VARGAS SENTENCED IN U.S. DISTRICT COURT

Bill Mercer, United States Attorney for the District of Montana, announced today that during a federal court session in Helena, on March 8, 2007, before Senior U.S. District Judge Charles C. Lovell, ALAN RODRIGUEZ VARGAS, aka ALAN RODRIQUEZ, aka ENRIQUE GONZALEZ, a 30-year-old resident of Mexico, appeared for sentencing. VARGAS was sentenced to a term of:

Prison: 133 days (time served)

Special Assessment: $100

Supervised Release: 3 years

VARGAS was sentenced in connection with his guilty plea to misuse of a Social Security number.

In an Offer of Proof filed by the United States, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following:

On August 6, 2002, VARGAS used a false Social Security number on an application to obtain a Montana driver's license bearing his photograph from the Motor Vehicle Division of the Montana Department of Justice.

A review of Department of Homeland Security records showed that VARGAS is a citizen of Mexico and an alien and did not have permission to work in the United States.

Because there is no parole in the federal system, the "truth in sentencing" guidelines mandate that VARGAS will likely serve all of the time imposed by the court. In the federal system, VARGAS does have the opportunity to earn a sentence reduction for "good behavior." However, this reduction will not exceed 15% of the overall sentence.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Horsman prosecuted the case for the United States.

The investigation was a cooperative effort between the Montana Department of Justice, the Joint Terrorism Task Force, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

United States Attorney's Office for the District of Montana
P.O. Box 1478
Billings, MT 59103

CONTACT
Kurt Alme
First Assistant U.S. Attorney
(406) 246-4669