PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. – A Honduran national currently serving time for the hit-and-run death of a Pinellas County Sheriff’s Deputy will stay behind bars longer after a federal judge tacked on additional prison time for the identity theft scheme that allowed him to work in the U.S. illegally.
U.S. District Judge Mary S. Scriven sentenced 35-year-old Juan Ariel Molina-Salles today to two years and one month in federal prison. The sentence stems from charges of aggravated identity theft, falsely representing a Social Security number, and making false claims of U.S. citizenship to secure employment.
Judge Scriven ordered the federal time to run consecutively to the 12-year state sentence Molina-Salles is already serving. That previous sentence was handed down in the Sixth Judicial Circuit Court in Pinellas County for leaving the scene of a crash involving death.
According to federal court records, the chain of events began on February 16, 2022, when Molina-Salles applied for a job with Archer Western-de Moya Group Joint Venture II in Pinellas County. The company uses E-Verify to check employment eligibility. Molina-Salles, an illegal alien with no lawful status in the United States, bypassed the system by filling out an I-9 form claiming to be a U.S. citizen and using another person’s identity.
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Investigators noted that Molina-Salles provided no documentation proving he was trained or qualified to operate heavy construction equipment.
Seven months later, on the evening of September 22, 2022, Molina-Salles was working under the stolen identity at a highway construction site. While operating a front-end loader, he struck and killed Deputy Michael Hartwick, a 19-year veteran of the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.
Following the collision, Molina-Salles did not attempt to aid Deputy Hartwick or wait for first responders. Instead, he handed his safety vest and helmet to a co-worker, instructed the co-worker to dispose of them, and fled the scene. He was arrested the following day, September 23, 2022.
The federal investigation involved multiple agencies, including Homeland Security Investigations, the Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General, and the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Christopher F. Murray prosecuted the case.
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