A federal jury has returned a guilty verdict against a 28-year-old Honduran national accused of utilizing a stolen identity to bypass employment eligibility checks. Nidia Roxana Maradiaga-Flores now faces up to a dozen years in federal prison following her conviction for aggravated identity theft and false claims of citizenship.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Gregory Kehoe following the conclusion of the trial.
According to evidence presented in court, the charges stem from an incident on March 23, 2022, in Pinellas County. Maradiaga-Flores applied for a position with Archer Western-de Moya Group Joint Venture II, a construction firm that utilizes E-Verify. The web-based federal system allows employers to cross-check the legal status and work eligibility of new hires.
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Prosecutors argued that Maradiaga-Flores, who holds no lawful status in the United States, attempted to circumvent these safeguards. Testimony revealed that she completed a standard I-9 employment form by falsely identifying herself as a U.S. citizen. To support the claim, she submitted identification documents and a Social Security number belonging to another person, effectively defeating the electronic verification system at the time of hiring.
The jury found Maradiaga-Flores guilty on three counts: aggravated identity theft, false representation of a Social Security number, and making a false claim of United States citizenship for employment purposes.
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The case involved a sweeping investigation by multiple state and federal agencies, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Offices of the Inspector General for the Departments of Transportation, Labor, and Social Security, as well as the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.
Maradiaga-Flores is scheduled for sentencing on April 17, 2026. The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Wheeler, III, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Karyna Valdes.
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